The sculpture of two concentric spheres by Arnaldo Pomodoro is in the middle of Cortile della Pigna

Vatican Museums located at Viale Vaticano, VaticanVA00120.
The sculpture of two concentric spheres by Arnaldo Pomodoro is in the middle of Cortile della Pigna Travel photography Family-friendly: true
Suddenly we are peering into a complicated mesh of cogs or what some describe as the inner workings of a clock, piano keys, or the intricate components of an alien machine. It will not surprise most that before becoming a sculptor, Pomodoro studied geometry. In fact, in many of his works we are confronted with seemingly simple shapes that then yield to much more complicated worlds within.
But what does it mean? The most common explanation (one apparently given by the artist himself) is that the inner ball represents the Earth and outer ball represents Christianity. This description is most fitting in relation to the particular piece in the Vatican, but it seems an odd significance to associate with the United Nations or the various other museums in which we find Pomodoro’s works. I found surprisingly few divergent explanations. The most “alternative” reading came from an online article by Smac Gallery of Art, “…one aspect of these works should be glaringly apparent, namely; Pomodoro’s undisguised and scathing criticism of greed, capitalism, industrialization, mechanization, exploitation of the planet and other related issues.” In their article, Smac relates these concerns to a trip the artist took to the United States, in which case the numerous examples found there may make more sense.
While this reading would better fit more of the sculptures’ various contexts, it does seem an odd ideology for say, the Vatican, to embrace. Nevertheless, much of the meaning making has been left to the viewer, which, in the case of Pomodoro’s many spheres, has produced an unusual and unexpected offshoot of conspiracy theory. Apparently, due to the quantity and quality of locations and (according to me) the lack of any real explanation readily available, the appearance of these spheres is described on certain websites as a “phenomenon,” a secret-nighttime-sculpture-placement-program representing the “New World Order.” One author even suggests plotting them on a map to see what clues the specific locations give us. I think I’ll pass, thanks.
Unlike most of the interpretations I have read – conspiracy or art critique – when I see these spheres my thoughts are not of destruction. In fact, I think Pomodoro is playing with time and space in a very clever way. How do we know the spheres are disintegrating, breaking, or falling apart and not healing, repairing, and reforming? I see the opposite of shredding metal, machinery, worlds, and ethos; I see once fragmented worlds that are now beginning the process of reuniting.