Anna Ill
CEASELESS CARE
a cura di Ehab Halabi Abo Kher
The arm that once held you like an ancient arch now bears the weight of time and life. Around you, nature whispers, cradling you in breath and bloom, nurturing your silence with ceaseless care.
Anna Ill, CEASELESS CARE, Simeri Crichi (CZ), Calabria. Ph Matteo Gregoraci.
CEASELESS CARE originates from Anna Ill’s research in the village of Simeri and the Provincial Numismatic Archaeological Museum of Catanzaro. During her visits, the artist encounters a headless votive statuette from the 4th century BC—the Kourotrophos, a symbol of care and protection for childhood. Struck by the fragmentary nature of the artifact—missing its head yet rich with meaning—Ill begins a reflection on the relationship between care, bodily memory, and visible absence.
Inspired by philosopher Sara Ruddick, the artist interprets motherhood not as a biological condition but as a verb: a practice of care that is open to all, regardless of gender, kinship, or origin. The work thus transcends traditional definitions of motherhood, exploring a universal dimension of nurturing and protection.
The sculpture consists of two primary elements of equal size. The arch, inspired by Simeri’s retaining walls lined with arches, evokes shelter and protection. Its curved form suggests an architectural embrace. The Kourotrophos is reimagined by reconstructing its surviving silhouette, with particular attention to the arm that once gently cradled a child. Tilted about 20° toward the arch, the figure suggests the interdependence between caregiver and protective space. Their equal scale emphasizes the balance between the act of care and the environment that supports it.
While exploring the area, the artist took note of the abundant Opuntia ficus-indica (prickly pear cactus). Once dried, its interior reveals a texture reminiscent of knotted fabric—a symbol of repetition, healing, and regeneration. Reproduced in steel as a third element, this motif extends from the arm of the Kourotrophos to the ground, forming a gesture of continuity and support that binds the other components together.
With CEASELESS CARE, Ill interweaves history, architecture, symbolism, and the body in a meditation on care as a collective responsibility—expressed through welcoming spaces and regenerative gestures capable of sustaining both individuals and communities.
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Permanent artwork:
01. Anna Ill, CEASELESS CARE, 2025, corten steel, 230 × 168 × 142 cm
Walkway adjacent to Piazza Matteotti, Simeri Crichi (CZ)
Anna Ill (Barcelona, Spain, 1990) is a visual artist who lives and works in London. She holds an MA in Art and Space from Kingston University, London (2017), a BA in Textile Art from Escola Massana, Barcelona (2014), and a degree in Decoration from École Boulle, Paris (2015). She is the co-founder of Calcio, an artist-run space based in London since 2023. Recently, her work won the Acquisition Prize at the Contextile Contemporary Textile Art Biennial, Porto (PT, 2024). She was also selected for the Textile Arts Center, New York (USA, 2024), and for the Sculpture Prize at the Antoni Vila Casas Foundation, Barcelona (ES, 2024). Her solo exhibition A(r)mour at L&B Gallery, Barcelona (ES, 2023), was awarded the Wittmore Prize. She participated in Festival Embarrat at LoPardal, Lleida (ES, 2024), and received a special mention at the Ezequiel Biennial (ES, 2023). Between 2022 and 2023, she took part in the travelling project organized by AllArtNow, exhibiting at Wonzimer, Los Angeles (USA); Laterna Magica Museum, Copenhagen (DK); Magmart International Videoart Festival, Naples (IT); Video Formes Festival, Clermont-Ferrand (FR); and the International Video Art Festival, Casablanca (MA). In 2021, she received the second prize at the Sculpture Prize FVC (ES), participated in the residency In-Ruins in Calabria (IT), and was selected for Ten Little Indians, Rome (IT).
Ehab Halabi Abo Kher is an Israeli visual artist based in Italy. A finalist of the National Arts Prize in 2008, he has taken part in numerous events and festivals, including the 54th Venice Biennale, Festa del Cinema di Roma, Corpo Elettronico, Videoart Yearbook, The Scientist Festival, and Altrove Street Art Festival.
His practice revolves around found footage and performance, exploring the mechanisms of communication through pre-existing materials. For Una Boccata d’Arte in Calabria, he curated the projects by Mohsen Baghernejad Moghanjoogh in Santa Severina (2023), Lulù Nuti in Motta Filocastro (2024), and Anna Ill in Simeri Crichi (2025).
The municipality of Simeri Crichi extends over 47 km², from the foothills of the Presila to the Ionian coast, and is divided into three areas: Crichi, the administrative center founded in the 18th century; Simeri, a medieval village with archaeological finds from the Iron Age and the Magna Graecia period; and Simeri Mare, a coastal area popular with tourists. Inhabited since the Neolithic era, it was a Byzantine fief and hosted a Capuchin convent and a bishop’s seat, now corresponding to the Collegiate Church. It is the birthplace of Bartolomeo di Simeri, a Greek-Calabrian monk and founder of the Pathirion monastery in Rossano. Today, the municipality includes an industrial area with a biomass power plant, a historic town band, and an active AVIS blood donation center. Rich in artists, it preserves strong religious traditions, including the Feast of St. Nicholas in May, followed by celebrations for St. Sebastian and the Madonna Addolorata “della Cona,” the most heartfelt by the community.