Alongside the exhibition of the remarkable Roman Imperial marble Head of Ulysses—on view at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum through July 19, an innovative Italian project is being presented at the Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator at Florida International University (FIU).
Promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and curated by Magister Art, the project features a replica of the original sculpture from the National Archaeological Museum of Sperlonga, produced using robotic technology. The replica was reproduced using Robotor, a cutting-edge Italian robotic system capable of carving marble, stone, concrete, and composite materials from a 3D scan of the original artwork. By combining digital surveying, 3D modeling, and automated carving, the process demonstrates how technological innovation and the sculptural tradition can engage in a mutually enriching dialogue. In recent years, internationally renowned contemporary artists and designers – including Jeff Koons, Barry X Ball, Francesco Vezzoli, Vanessa Beecroft, Giuseppe Penone, Zaha Hadid, and Maurizio Cattelan – have experimented with this pioneering technology.
Conceived for the Italy-US Business, Investment, Science and Innovation Forum, the initiative demonstrates how advanced technologies, employing tools of extraordinary precision, can open new possibilities for the study, reproduction, and enhancement of cultural heritage. By placing the robotic reproduction in dialogue with the ancient masterpiece, the project creates a compelling encounter between memory and technology, tradition and innovation. It also serves as a metaphor for the partnership between Italy and the United States: on one hand, Italy’s excellence in transforming cultural heritage into innovation; on the other, the technological and entrepreneurial vision of the United States in the fields of art and design, embodied by the Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator. The project celebrates this convergence, presenting a shared perspective in which art, culture, science, and enterprise shape new pathways between memory and the future.
While the original sculpture is on display in the entrance hall of the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the robotic replica is on view, free of charge with advance registration, through July 20, 2026, at the Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator, Florida International University (Biscayne Bay Campus, Academic Two-AC II, Room 150; 3000 NE 151 Street, North Miami). For reservations and information, visitors are encouraged to consult the official website.
