Palermo is a multi-ethnic mosaic that finds its beauty in the encounter between cultures, and in this context, the ‘Foresta Urbana‘ (urban forest) project aims to foster an embrace between these cultures and nature through art. The idea is to construct a constellation of linguistic expressions, a forest of interpretations of nature through the vision that today’s artists have developed in the new millennium. The exhibition, curated by Paolo Falcone and promoted by the Fondazione Cultura e Arte derived by Fondazione Terzo Pilastro – Internazionale, animates the streets of the city enriching them with dozens and dozens of works of art, and it will be on show until January 20.
Falcone has involved and invited to Sicily a large number of international artists exhibiting their works in Palermo in such a way as to connect, through a precise path, different areas of the city and touching locations such as Piazza Bologni and Palazzo Belmonte Riso. The ‘nature‘ theme is the nucleus of the project that wants to decline the idea of an urban forest in the streets of the city, evoking the everlasting relationship between man and nature and adding to it a significant artistic and cultural component.
As the President of Fondazione Terzo Pilastro – Internazionale Prof. Avv. Emmanuele F.M. Emanuele explained: “In a world where the environment is increasingly mistreated and threatened, it becomes essential to assume a new moral commitment through the communicative power of art, which renews and reinforces the indissoluble relationship between man and nature “.
Among the main artists who give life to this ‘postmodern forest‘ in the heart of Palermo there are: Doug Aitken, Francesco De Grandi, Nathalie Djuberg, Jimmie Durham, Olafur Eliasson, Bill Fontana, Sara Goldschmied / Eleonora Chiari, Carsten Holler, Ann Veronica Janssens, Richard Long, Ernesto Neto, Benedetto Pietromarchi, Ugo Rondinone, Tomas Saraceno, Conrad Showcross, Andreas Slominski, Pascale Martine Tayou, Luca Vitone, and Ai Weiwei.
Ilona Catani Scarlett