The Church of Sant'Evasio (Carassone, Mondovì). 2022

The painting is part of a series inspired by the Italian town, Mondovì, where the artist grew up until the age of 19. Initially built in the early 12^th century, Mondovì is a medieval township located over a hill in the southwest region of Piedmont. Mondovì was an important center of clerical power until the late 16^th century when Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy moved his capital to Turin, which henceforth became the center of religious activity. Cordero reevaluates his childhood memories of the town, entranced by the beauty and the mystery of its historical buildings and old churches.

Located in the district of Carassone, the Church of Sant'Evasio is a fixture of the artist’s childhood memories. While parts of the structure date back to the 13^th century, the Romanesque church reached the peak of its splendor in the 17^th century, before it was deconsecrated and abandoned in the 18^th century. At present it consists of a Romanesque bell tower, a marble tabernacle, tombstones within the structure as well as a system of crypts below the presbytery. Fascinated by its architecture, Cordero captures the old church with the immense structure of a former retirement home in the background. In a time of global instability and uncertainty, the artist turns to the past, finding solace in the local and familiar.