From June to November 2009, the Roman Forum, and specifically the Sacred Way that runs through it, opened its doors to contemporary art for the first time in history. The exhibition "Deredia. Genesis and Symbol" presented eight marble sculptural groups by the artist Jiménez Deredia, stretching from the Arch of Titus to the Senate Curia. The sculptures on display at the forum are part of "The Route of Peace," the artist's project that includes nine monumental sculptural groups in nine countries across the American continent: from Canada to Tierra del Fuego, passing through the United States, Mexico, Yucatán, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, and Chile. The project proposes an ideal "red thread" through the American continent, uniting peoples and legends, myths and traditions, life and symbols. At the same time, the exhibition "Deredia, The Route of Peace" was on display at the Exhibition Palace from June to September, offering a detailed look at the project for the entire American continent. Architectural models with their respective small-scale sculptures and monumental bronze works were displayed in the Palazzo dei Exposizione. Other monumental sculptures by Deredia were exhibited in other important public spaces: Piazza del Colosseum, Piazza Barberini, Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina, the Roman Museum, Palazzo Massimo, and the Roman Museum of Palazzo Altemps. The event, under the High Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic, was promoted by the Ministry for Cultural Benefits and Activities, the Special Fund for Archaeological Benefits of Rome, the Municipality of Rome, and the Palaexpo Special Agency.From June to November 2009, the Roman Forum— and for the first time in history, its central Via Sacra—opened its doors to contemporary art. The exhibition “Deredia. Genesis and the Symbol” featured eight marble sculptural groups by Jiménez Deredia, displayed along the route from the Arch of Titus to the Curia of the Senate.
The sculptures presented in the Forum are part of “La Ruta de la Paz” (The Route of Peace), a monumental project by the artist consisting of nine sculptural ensembles to be installed across nine countries in the Americas: from Canada to Tierra del Fuego, passing through the United States, Mexico, Yucatán, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, and Chile. The project envisions an ideal “red thread” weaving across the American continent—a symbolic union of peoples and legends, myths and traditions, life and symbols.
Simultaneously, the “Deredia, La Ruta de la Paz” exhibition was held at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni from June to September, offering a detailed presentation of the continental project. The exhibition featured architectural models with their corresponding small-scale sculptures, as well as monumental bronze works.