From the interest in neuroscience and evolutionary theories, a complex path of sculptures in black and white marble accompanies us to the discovery of the unknown world, revealing the strange creatures that inhabit itThe Certosa di San Giacomo is the oldest monastery in Capri, built in 1371 at the behest of Giacomo Arcucci, today it is the evocative space that houses Homo aquaticus and his planet, a body of 16 works created in the last 4 years by Jan Fabre, including the most important contemporary artists on the international scene.Born in Antwerp in a popular neighborhood of a family of humble origins, as a child he was stimulated to creativity and art thanks to his father who introduced him to the grandeur of Flemish painting;it is as a boy, however, that he undergoes a real shock at the sight of the Judgment of Cambyses, a diptych of 1498 by Gerard David, where the body is violence and the dance between death and life becomes drapery, now living flesh.From that moment on, the organic fluids are the intermediary of his creations, blood, urine and sperm the colors of him;over time the body and its transmutation take on obsessive contours, passing from self-portrait to the metamorphosis of animal carcasses, borrowing the principles of biology or in-depth studies on the mind to create an imaginary of restlessness and beauty.From his interest in neuroscience and from one of the many evolutionary theories that fascinate him, this complex path of stone sculptures was born, curated by Melania Rossi, where the investigation moves into the depths of the sea, the unknown of the abyss and the strange creatures that inhabit it.Thus a tense dialogue develops between two divers, one sculpted in carrara marble and the other in black Belgian marble, which placed at the two ends of the Certosa show us the discovery of strange fish, with gills and fins but with human faces, lying on abnormal brain-shaped protuberances.An interview with Jan Fabre exclusively for ElleDecor.it, reveals the details of this exhibition and his unpublished cycle of worksThe exhibition Homo Aquaticus and his planet presents a corpus of sixteen sculptural works that incorporate the sea as a constant element;what does this environment of natural elements represent for you?Water, as the primordial element in which life has developed, maintains a centrality in the life cycle, which is one of the key themes of my work.I myself practice diving and feel a great attraction for the underwater world, a planet to explore, where the man who swims in the abyss, as in very few other rare occasions, is a silent guest.Furthermore, let's not forget that our bodies are mainly made of water and that for our first 9 months of life the water element is our natural element.There is an ancient and profound link between water and man, although it is impossible for us to remain underwater without a technology that allows us to breathe.Homo Aquaticus, in the guise of a diver, brings a mysterious hybrid being to the surface from the depths of the sea as if clinging to a human brain.Who or what does this strange humanoid represent and how much have they influenced topics such as biology or neuroscience for this new series of works?For more than 20 years with my visual art I have been involved in investigating the human brain, often in collaboration with biologists and neuroscientists.We still know very little about the brain: we have an unknown land between our ears, trying to know it is a real exploration.In this new series of sculptures, I have brought the evolutionary mystery closer to the greater mystery we carry within us.In creating these hybrids between man and fish, I want to ask two questions: where do we come from?Where are we going?Intelligence and adaptability allowed humans to live on earth and evolve, but the first steps of this evolution are still largely unknown, just like the human brain.When we think of the abyss we represent it as a threatening and disturbing place in addition to its precise scientific description, how much weight did the imponderable concept of the unknown have?As an artist I seek that leap into the unknown.Exploring unknown worlds, inside or outside ourselves, has always been a natural inclination, ever since I was a boy.I began my first explorations in the world of insects, building a laboratory tent in my parents' garden in Antwerp.And I never stopped exploring the human body, both with my visual art and with my plays, until I got to the control tower of thought and the body, the brain.Every quest begins with an attraction to the unknown and requires you to take that leap, that leap into the unknown.For these works he was inspired by the studies on the "Human Fish" - the search for that missing link in the evolution of man between his aquatic phase and life on earth - what fascinates you about this theory?Is there a connection between this theory and the choice of the Certosa di San Giacomo in Capri as the venue for the exhibition?In this installation I fantasized, giving shape to the missing link in the evolution from water to life on earth.The human fish was the starting point of a reflection, which I then expanded with the study of different physiognomies and facial expressions, which I chose to report on the bodies of the fish, specifically the blob fish, which curiously has a face that looks like human.I took inspiration from the frescoes of the Certosa where I exhibit the installation.A couple of years ago, Laura Trisorio, director of the Studio Trisorio gallery with which I have been collaborating for many years, made me discover this place.This spiritual place, this umbraculum, continued to float in my mind until I felt I had the right group of sculptures to present there.I want to express my gratitude to the curator Melania Rossi and to Laura Trisorio, who created the staging and spatial dramaturgy of the exhibition.When I arrived for the inauguration I was taken by the sublime connection between my new set of marble works and the sacred place.White Carrara marble and Belgian black marble, two materials that already in their chromatic nature suggest antithetical concepts;what prompted you to choose these two stones with contrasting aesthetics and how their mass collides with the representation of an aquatic and impalpable world?Carrara marble and black from Belgium represent the opposites that find harmony in this installation.Think of the image of yin and yang, for example.Good and evil, light and dark, represented by black and white, are always co-present, especially in the natural world, where there is no moral or cultural influence.I have been working with Carrara marble for many years, its long history as a statuary material certainly has a romantic value for an artist, moreover it is a shiny stone with moving transparencies.The fact that a seemingly pure white block can hide veins inside is fascinating, it suggests time and events buried in the layers of the earth.Black Belgian marble represents my visual culture and the tradition of my country.The very small quarry where this marble is extracted makes it extremely rare and precious.Its texture is also particular, it is of an absolute black and it is compact.These two materials, although heavy, maintain an extreme shine that lightens them, since natural stones have a lively appearance and are always different depending on how the light touches them.The tender white Carrara marble for me represents the purity of water.While the very hard Belgian black marble represents the darkest depths of our oceans.The Certosa di San Giacomo church has this unique setting towards the altar, where light filters through the large windows and changes the appearance of the sculptures depending on the time of day.I worked four years on these works and waited for the right project to exhibit them.It was curator Melania Rossi's idea to show this ensemble at the Certosa, having closely followed the creation process over the past four years.The curator was fascinated by this place which, despite being in the midst of crowded Capri, was an oasis of peace and spirituality.She described it to me as a place with a strong cosmic energy, where light and water are the protagonists.The ideal place for Homo aquaticus and his planet.