The Pinna Nobilis sculptures take both their name and form from the shell of the eponymous bivalve mollusc, the largest species native to the Mediterranean Sea. Cast in bronze, Giorgio Andreotta Calò has produced these life-sized works since 2014, translating specimens of Pinna Nobilis into sculptural form with remarkable fidelity.

The sculptures extend beyond the shell itself. The casting channels and pouring cup, elements intrinsic to the lost-wax casting process, are preserved as integral components of each work. Rather than concealing the traces of production, Calò incorporates them into the sculpture, allowing the process of making to remain visible while simultaneously providing structural support.

The symmetrical structure of the Pinna Nobilis, composed of two nearly identical valves, reflects central concerns within Calò's artistic practice. His sustained engagement with landscape, and particularly with the Venetian lagoon that has long informed his work, is rooted in the careful observation and transformation of natural forms. Fragments of this environment are translated into sculptures that carry both material specificity and symbolic resonance.

The mirrored form of Pinna Nobilis also introduces the recurring motif of the double, a theme that traverses Calò's practice as a means of exploring perception, memory, and the relationship between presence and representation. In these sculptures, symmetry becomes an investigative device through which the natural world is reconfigured into a poetic reflection on contemporary experience.