Human Scrooge, 2026

Vincenzo De Cillis  

A presence both familiar and unsettling emerges from this sculpture, like a childhood memory immersed in a bath of dazzling modernity. The recognizable silhouette of an aristocratic duck—top hat firmly in place, beak slightly stretched into a mischievous grin—seems frozen in a posture of self-assurance, almost haughtiness. With its arms crossed, it embodies a kind of quiet power, an assumed, almost theatrical, wealth.

But here, everything shifts into the realm of matter. The figure is engulfed in a mirrored fuchsia, a chromed surface that captures, distorts, and replays the light. Every curve becomes liquid, every detail seems to melt in a metallic flow, as if the figure itself were dissolving into the luxury it symbolizes. The gaze disappears into the reflections, rendering the expression elusive—somewhere between irony, distance, and fascination.

This work plays on the codes of pop and kitsch, pushing them to the extreme. It transforms a popular icon into a precious, almost sacred object, where humor blends with a more subtle reflection on value, appearance, and illusion. The vibrant and provocative fuchsia acts as a signal: it's impossible to look away.

It is a sculpture that does not merely occupy space — it captures it, reflects it, and imposes its presence with a brilliant, almost insolent audacity.