Gorilla by Davide Rivalta - Brescia Castle
Gorilla by Davide Rivalta - Brescia CastleVia del Castello, 9 - Brescia BS
Today, in the Martyrs’ Pit of Brescia Castle, three bronze chimpanzees silently scan the empty space around them. They’re not there by accident. This is a place that once housed the city zoo. And they aren’t just sculptures, they’re symbols.
THE WORK
Since 2025, Dreams of Glory by Davide Rivalta has been transformed. The monumental installation, which initially consisted of 14 animals scattered around the castle grounds, has been downsized. But it hasn’t lost any power or impact. On the contrary, it’s become more concentrated, more necessary. This isn’t a subtraction. It’s a choice. It’s a message. Fewer figures. More space to think.
What remains are three motionless bodies, profoundly alive. They remain in a place steeped in history and memory. And in this new form, the work asks us to reflect on our relationship with nature, with the past, with all that has been imprisoned, forgotten, erased.
A LEAP BACKWARDS
“Dreams of Glory” began in 2023 as an open-air exhibition: gorillas, baboons, chimpanzees and an orangutan populated the castle park, transforming it into a habitat suspended between art and nature. The sculptures, up to three metres tall, seemed animated by a primitive force, in silent dialogue with the walls, ramparts and moats.
Today, only three figures remain. But they suffice to leave their mark. Art becomes a way to talk about freedom, memory, responsibility. An experience that sets Brescia Castle apart from anywhere else. Unforgettable, like every dream of glory.