NHOMMCAVE CANEM ·
(from the “Performance echoes” series)
Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, photopolymer resin · Italy

A heart, fragile and beating, guarded by a primitive form of loyalty: the paw of a dog.”

The artwork CAVE CANEM explores the duality between vulnerability and protection. The heart, a universal symbol of life, passion, and humanity, is enveloped by the dog’s paw, a metaphor for innate and selfless protective instincts.

This installation reinterprets the message of Cave Canem (“Beware of the dog”), an ancient inscription found in Roman mosaics that warned of the guard dog’s aggressiveness. Here, the warning gives way to a deeper dialogue: aggressiveness becomes defense, and the threat transforms into a loving and essential gesture.

The minimalist composition in red, with continuous lines and sharp cuts, emphasizes the essential: the human need for protection and the indissoluble bond between strength and tenderness.

A shelter, not a prison.

NHOMM gives a voice to fragility, offering it a visible and invisible shield, a warning, and a tribute to the ancestral trust between humans and their most faithful guardian.