In "The Molting Heart" , the artist continues his investigation of the body as both a vessel of memory and a site of transformation. This unique single piece sculpture  takes the anatomical heart—a recurring motif in Brognoli’s work—as its base, but here it undergoes a radical evolution. Its surface is encased in sculptural “scales” that echo the feathers of Quetzalcoatl, the Mesoamerican feathered serpent deity symbolizing wind, rebirth, and cosmic connection.
 
These scales, meticulously arranged in a spiraling rhythm, evoke the shedding of skin—a metaphor Brognoli has used across previous works to symbolize cycles of identity, vulnerability, and regeneration. Much like his earlier sculptures Expanding Heart and Sediment of the Self , this piece bridges human anatomy and mythical iconography, uniting emotion and mythos in a single, hybrid form.
 
Yet unlike the raw, exposed interiors of his past hearts, The Molting Heart  is armored. Its exterior suggests both protection and metamorphosis: the serpent wraps the heart not to constrict it, but to carry it forward—through time, through death, into renewal. The high-gloss finish and textured surfaces enhance this duality, shimmering like sacred relics and reptilian skin.
 
This sculpture stands as a culmination of Brognoli’s sculptural language: myth and biology collapse into one another, revealing a poetics of becoming. In The Molting Heart, the heart does not merely beat—it transforms, molts, ascends.
 
The media used is carved plaster , once again underlining the concept of fragility in the Artist's work.
 
Dimentions :  14 x 10 x 6 in.