The Menhir Project | A Planetary Network of Symbolic Antennas

The Menhir Project is a long-term artistic research developed by Antonella Mellini, conceived as a symbolic and energetic network extending across different geographies, cultures, and contexts, articulated through sculpture and performative action as tools for connection. Each individual sculpture functions as an autonomous, active node: a sculptural presence operating as a contemporary antenna—a point of transmission and reception where matter becomes a carrier of intention, memory, and energetic dynamics. Rooted in ancestral forms and structured through contemporary materials, the Menhirs establish a dialogue between formal permanence and the perception of the present.
The project unfolds through sculptural modules and participatory actions. During performances, the audience is invited to inscribe secret words directly onto the surfaces; gestures charged with personal intention that integrate as invisible, permanent layers of the artwork. These marks, concealed beneath stratified applications of color and material, transform each Menhir into a repository of anthropological memory and expressive frequency.
The sculptures are designed to inhabit space in multiple orientations: standing, suspended, grounded, or inverted. This plurality of positions operates as a conceptual device that prompts a shift in perception and reconfigures the relationship between the body, volume, and environmental space. Inversion functions as a tool for expanding visual awareness.
The Menhirs exist as interconnected nodes within an expanding, cohesive system where artworks, viewers, and architectural contexts resonate together within an open global network. The project outlines an extended mapping where every single element amplifies the balance of the whole, evolving as an open structure designed to grow over time through encounters, presence, and spatial interactions.