curated by Palazzo Monti

Ultra-contemporary art exhibition - Campanile di Santa Maria in Silvis - 16/17/22/23/24 November 2024 | 10.00>12.30 and 14.30>18.00 

Vertigini was created with the intent to enhance a historic village, revealing a place of hidden beauty, often invisible to many.

This desire finds expression in one of the symbols of the village of Sesto al Reghena: the Campanile, ancient and rich in historical-cultural value. The exhibition path unfolds across the seven floors of the tower, a space usually closed to the public, which reopens for the occasion. In this context, art becomes a catalyst that revitalizes the place, giving it new life.

In an era marked by crises and uncertainties, we are often driven to rethink our way of looking at the world, recognizing how fragile our certainties are. The exhibition becomes a space to reflect on this disorientation, but also an invitation to stop, observe, and live in the present. The theme of vertigo is felt as the physical sensation of disorientation linked to height and the emotional turmoil that can arise from intense experiences or radical changes.

It also evokes the excitement for the unknown, the urge to confront what is unfamiliar and to overcome one's limits.

In this sense, the video Oak Tree by Bill Viola from 2005, is a powerful reflection on the cycle of life, symbolized by the solitary oak that, from dawn to dusk, transforms with the changing light. The tree becomes the center of a silent meditation, a symbol of continuity and natural cyclicity, as time flows and nature renews itself.

Viola, through this video, invites reflection on the deep connection between the natural cycle and the search for awareness, creating an open dialogue with the theme of the exhibition.

Other works are presented, paintings, sculptures, and photographs, all created between 2018 and 2024. Ultra-contemporary art is a powerful tool to stimulate critical reflection on themes that embrace past, present, and future.

With its ability to challenge conventions, break barriers, and reinterpret symbols and icons, it offers new perspectives on historical, identity, and social issues. Through often provocative or conceptually complex works, contemporary artists explore current themes such as climate change, social inequalities, technology, and cultural identity. In this way, art becomes a catalyst for meaningful dialogues, allowing us to confront the past, reflect on the challenges of the present, and imagine potential futures. It not only invites the viewer to ask questions but also encourages awareness, stimulating a deeper understanding of the reality that surrounds us.

The Campanile, an ideal place to combine past and present, hosts the works of established and emerging artists, Italian and international, including Bill Viola, Antonio Fiorentino, Thomas Braida, Hiva Alizadeh, Federico Cantale,

Oren Pinhassi, and Andro Eradze. The artists, who have participated in the Palazzo Monti residency or are part of its network, offer a multiplicity of visions and languages. Floor by floor, visitors are invited to explore sculpture, photography, painting, and video, with the freedom to appreciate and interpret the works according to their own sensibility, without a predefined key of interpretation

The contrast between the ancient structure of the tower and the contemporary works amplifies the meaning of this path: the past embraces the present, creating a link between memory and future that invites visitors to rediscover the place with new eyes.

The exhibition is not just a reflection on our time, but an act of redevelopment: an invitation to bring life and meaning back to a historical space and return it to the community. The bell tower, symbol of the village, becomes an emblem of rebirth and openness towards new horizons, where art becomes a means of connection and rediscovery. Thus, the space regenerates, fostering an open dialogue among people.

Vertigini is an invitation to look up, to challenge oneself, to live the experience of encounter and discovery.

For the inhabitants of Sesto al Reghena and for all visitors, this exhibition aims to open unexpected spaces of exchange and reflection, generating a sensation of vertigo that arises from the confrontation with others and the challenge of overcoming one's own certainties.

This exhibition was created in collaboration with the regional network of I Borghi più belli d'Italia in Friuli Venezia Giulia and with the support of the Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia. Special thanks to the Parrocchia di Santa Maria di Sesto