Mondo Cane 

Jonathan Santoro 

Race Street Pier 

September 29 – November 02, 2025

Curated by Libby Rosa

Jonathan Santoro’s Mondo Cane is a site-specific sculptural installation on the Delaware River at the Race Street Pier. Challenging the conventions of public artworks, it is quasi-concealed within a designed void in the pier’s structure, framing a floating tire with an anthropomorphic hubcap bearing a worried grimace, cast adrift in the river, nearly submerged. “Mondo cane” is an Italian curse translating to “a dog’s world,” inferring a period of struggle or difficulty. Exploring pathos, callousness, and spectacle, the installation challenges the viewer’s response to anxiety in a time of reactionary change and increasing uncertainty. 

 This project was made possible by the generous support of The Delaware Riverfront Corporation, The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Joseph Robert Foundation.