'Baci Rubati' ('Stolen Kisses')

Turin is not a city of simplistic, utilitarian design. It is well known for its public art, largely in the highly ornate Baroque style, found everywhere from the grand piazzas to the facades of its side street buildings. However, on the Via Palazzo di Città near the city center, there is at least one architectural feature that would appear out of place anywhere on earth. In the corner of one building, there is a silver hoop piercing that would look more at home on a rebellious 18 year old than a building from the eighteenth century.

Baci Rubati (“Stolen Kisses”) is the official name of this work, which was made by the architect Corrado Levi in collaboration with Cliostraat. This group of artists sought to disrupt the conventional relationship between art and architecture, pushing boundaries to merge the modern with the traditional. Installed in 1996, this work was intended to be a temporary statement. Over 30 years later, the edifice has not left its rebellious phase, and still proudly sports its ring to this day.

When you arrive, pay attention to the sides of the piercing. One side drips with crimson paint, while the other bleeds in blue. The red represents the soul of poverty, while the blue represents nobility. The “stolen kiss” is in fact the kiss of tradition and modernity, the ways of the present piercing the vestiges of the past. It is at once violent, affectionate, and above all disruptive, and certainly leaves its mark on an evolving city.