Entitled NATURE/UTOPIA: Art Between Ecology, Reuse and The Future , the exhibition, promoted by the Perugia Foundation, aims to initiate a reflection on issues related to nature and ecology in contemporary art. Through the works of thirteen artists from different parts of the world, the project aims to offer an in-depth and innovative look at these crucial topics for our time. Curated by Marco Tonelli, the exhibition is scheduled at the rooms of Palazzo Baldeschi in Perugia from April 23 to November 3, 2024. The exhibition route and layout are designed to offer the public a narrative about man’s relationship with nature and its future. The inspiration for this quest comes from the legendary republic of Utopia, imagined in the 16th century by the English humanist Thomas More in his famous short story of the same name. In this context, Utopia represents a land that, while connected to the real world, is also independent and represents a possible alternative future.
Similarly, contemporary art is seen as a kind of “happy island,” where everything is sustainable because it contributes to enriching the world, both in terms of forms of expression and thought. Through the works of the artists involved, the exhibition aims to explore this utopian vision and stimulate critical reflection on how we can imagine and build a more sustainable future in harmony with nature.
The exhibition NATURE/UTOPIA: Art Between Ecology, Reuse and the Future recognizes the crucial role of art in representing and reflecting on contemporary issues related to the environment and sustainability. Rather than directly resolving these issues, art offers a unique space to reinterpret and reimagine them through the language of forms, aesthetic thinking, and artistic creativity. In this context, art acts as a catalyst to stimulate critical reflection and awareness on crucial issues such as ecology, the relationship between humans and nature, sustainability and the reuse of materials. The selection of the 13 artists involved in the exhibition reflects a diversity of perspectives and cultural backgrounds, including protagonists of the Italian, European and even non-European cultural scene, such as Cameroon and Mozambique. These artists have long made the concept of utopia, reuse, design and nature the core of their artistic poetics, since the 1960s. Each artist, with his or her own specific characteristics, contributes to enrich the exhibition with works made with traditional but also unexpected and innovative materials.
