ROMAN HEAD

Bella Hunt & DDC
FRANCE

Italian-American duo born in the 1980s Behind the simple and deceptively naive forms of Bella Hunt & DDC hides the possibility of a society different from ours, based on a greater coexistence between people, a great humility and respect for vernacular traditions, for a future respectful of the environment. After making pottery and frescoes whose natural pigments have been incorporated into a mixture of lime, the American-Italian duo gained momentum, with bronze works and more architectural sculptures. However, their practice remains – this detail counts – on a human scale. Their works speak of a past (or even a future?) Common to all humanity. Bowls, arches and primitive forms punctuate their creation. A medievalist trait is felt in Bella Hunt & DDC. Like the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, from which they borrow their names [1], the two artists refer to a world before perspective, to a pre-modern world whose race for progress was not the main story. However, their dynamic differs from that of the anti-industrial movements of the 19th century: Bella Hunt & DDC do not refuse progress, but suggest that it be outdated. Stop at Ancient Mystic I, a double-sided arc, novel, and pseudo-Phoenician-Egyptian. Simply enjoy it, without planning anything. Admit it, Bella Hunt & DDC let you once again feel the thrill of emotion produced by the discovery of an object patiently made by a past civilization: this thrill lost long ago in contact with manufactured objects of our daily life. Charlotte Cosson and Emmanuelle Luciani [1] Bella plays with the name William Hunt, DDC – for Dante di Calce or Dante de la Chaux – refers to Dante Gabriele Rossetti, the movement’s most Trécentiste