The video artist Anri Sala works in between geographies. In Uomo Duomo, he shows an old man asleep who he “discovered” by coincidence in the Milan cathedral on consecutive days. With discretion and consideration for those at prayer, Sala succeeded in presenting a picture of the person using a hand-held camera. The stillness of the camera position that the artist found is only interrupted by the jerky movements of the central figure. The work’s title refers to the concrete location of the occurrence, but the diffuse light produces a type of indefinite surrounding with a surreal quality reminiscent of scenes from Beckett’s dramas. Similar to Beckett, whose work achieved great popularity especially in post-communist Albania of the 90’s, Sala poses questions about time, space and change or the common quest for the existence of humanity. The reality of the scene is difficult for the viewer to judge and so the “Man in the Cathedral” becomes a symbol for the impenetrable, the infinite.

Hans Ulrich Obrist, 2005 (translation: Tim Sharp)