Edoardo Tresoldi's ghostly wire mesh basilica earns a Gold Medal for Italian Architecture

It's been quite the year for Italian artist Edoardo Tresoldi whose atmospheric architectural sculptures in wire mesh are fascinating audiences around the world, most recently at the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival with his trio of 'ghost' cathedrals in the California desert. 

Another work, the 2016 sculpture Basilica di Siponto, has now earned Tresoldi the Gold Medal for Italian Architecture – Special prize to Commission. Established by the Triennale di Milano in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Culture, the award is considered the country's highest recognition in architecture.

From the Basilica di Siponto project description: 

"The architectural sculpture in wire mesh, created by the Milanese artist and commissioned by the Italian Ministry of Culture, reinterprets the volumes of the ancient Early Christian basilica located close to the existing Romanesque church, which was erected 600 years later. Detached by strong visual and volumetric decompositions and cherished by the atmospheric factors, the installation outlines as a bridge towards the memory of the place and allows the public to relate with time and history."

"The Basilica, which has been inaugurated on March 2016 and has captivated worldwide media attention, has become a cultural and tourist destination of excellence on an international scale and has opened up new scenarios for preservation and enhancement of historic and archaeological heritage."

The Basilica also earned the Riccardo Francovich Archaeological Prize in 2016 from the Society of Italian Medieval Archaeologists for "the site’s capacity to combine academic rigour with an effective communication to the non-specialized audience."

The accompanying exhibition The Gold Medal for Italian Architecture 6th Edition with all of this year's award winners (including the T Young Claudio De Albertis Awards for emerging talent) opened at the Palazzo della Triennale in Milan last weekend and will be on display through November 11.