Naturales Quaestiones | Ibridazione

NATURALES QUAESTIONES | HYBRIDIZATION is the second exhibition in the project promoted by SCD Studio.

Organized in collaboration with CasermArcheologica, it will be hosted at Palazzo Muglioni, Via Niccolò Aggiunti 55, Sansepolcro, from 15 March to 31 May 2025. Curated by Barbara Pavan, the exhibition features seven installations by internationally artists: Jorgelina Alessandrelli, Gudrun Bartenberger-Geyer, Adeline Contreras, Monica Giovinazzi, Barbara Grossato, Simone Martinotta, and Olga Teksheva.

Hybridization, as a creative principle, is a process of fusion and convergence between distinct elements. Through their encounter, new perspectives emerge, inspiring unprecedented reflections and opening unexplored horizons. It is not merely a combination of forms but a profound transformation that transcends disciplinary and conceptual boundaries, creating space for alternative visions capable of addressing the pressing challenges of our time. Rooted in contamination and interdisciplinarity, this phenomenon serves as a powerful tool for exploring and reinterpreting the complex dynamics of our world. It invites us to question our collective future and the responsibilities it entails. Within the framework of this exhibition, hybridization becomes a practice that encourages the reassessment of certainties and a heightened awareness of personal responsibility towards the planet—a concrete challenge that each of us is called to embrace.

NATURALES QUAESTIONES

The NATURALES QUAESTIONES project takes inspiration from Seneca's treatise of the same name, which is divided into seven books analyzing natural phenomena such as fire and mirrors, lightning and thunder, terrestrial waters, atmospheric phenomena, winds, earthquakes, and comets. This text is not only a philosophical and scientific investigation of natural events but also a critique of the indiscriminate exploitation and commercialization of natural resources by a privileged few. At the same time, Seneca celebrates scientific progress as a means to elevate human consciousness and bring it closer to the divine.

This contemporary art project adopts the principles and structure of this classical work, organizing its seven exhibitions/chapters over time and space. Each event blends nature and culture in a multidisciplinary and contemporary vision, aiming to stimulate a deep reflection on the balance between humanity and the environment. The project promotes an alliance between scientific, technological, and social progress, artistic research, and environmental sustainability.

THE ARTWORKS

"The Ambiguity of Horizons – Shifting Geographies" by Jorgelina Alessandrelli explores geological and environmental transformations caused by human intervention, translating them into a layered textile installation. The work symbolizes the implosion of Earth's strata and the search for a new balance between nature and culture, highlighting planetary vulnerability in the Anthropocene era. Using fashion industry waste, the artist creates a hybrid representation of mutation and resilience, questioning human impact and the possibility of harmonious coexistence with the environment.
"Gut Feeling" by Gudrun Bartenberger-Geyer examines the relationship between life, death, and consumption through suspended organic sculptures made from sheep intestine. The work reflects on the conscious use of natural resources and the paradox of meat consumption, transforming a raw and perishable material into a fragile yet evocative form. The intestine, a symbol of digestion and the connection between body and mind, is interwoven using traditional techniques, creating a dialogue between nature and culture. The artist merges opposites—the raw and the refined—to generate a meditation on hybridization as a metaphor for the human condition.
Adeline Contreras' installation evokes a collective and personal sensory memory, awakening ancestral emotions linked to common materials such as fabrics, plants, and soil. These elements are not merely aesthetic choices; they encourage reflection on our relationship with nature and the traces it leaves in our perception. The hybridization of matter and form creates a sensitive space where memory intertwines with the observer's physical experience. The scale of the work reinforces this connection, prompting questions about our role in the world. Through the reuse and transformation of materials, the artist suggests a new ecological awareness and invites us to envision a future of balance between humanity and nature.
"The Whale" by Monica Giovinazzi critiques anthropocentrism and the consequences of rampant consumption, which has reshaped the planet in humanity's image. A whale tail made from tin can lids symbolizes both the majesty of nature and its gradual disappearance under the weight of pollution, evoking dystopian scenarios. The artist transforms the animal into a symbol of awareness, a warning about the implications of self-referential development. The artwork demands a critical reflection: ignoring it means accepting a future suffocated by waste, while attentively observing it opens the possibility of change.
"MUTANTE 1" by Barbara Grossato is a site-specific installation in galvanized steel, intertwining wires and metal washers into a dense, labyrinthine structure. The repetition of textile gestures creates a layering that transcends the original function of the material, transforming it into a complex visual narrative. The work explores the concept of memory and time, where each added level becomes a trace of past actions. The interplay of light and shadow amplifies the scenic effect, evoking a balance between order and chaos. The installation, in constant expansion, echoes the organic growth of nature and the perpetual transformation of the universe.
“Shiftin Selves” by Simone Martinotta explores the theme of depersonalization in the digital age, investigating how virtual identities become indistinguishable and fragile. Using a particle-based graphic component, the work depicts the physical body disintegrating and reassembling, reflecting on the difficulty of emerging in a reality created by humans themselves. Inspired by the theory of liquid modernity by Heidegger and Bauman, the installation questions contemporary civilization and the growing dominance of the virtual in our daily lives. The digitally scanned human figure becomes a symbol of a mutable identity, constantly manipulated by technology, in a continuous and destabilizing movement between physical and virtual reality.
“Hidden Treasures” by Olga Teksheva is a modular installation exploring the connection between memory and identity, represented through a fabric of interwoven experiences. The cocoons, made of fishing line, metal, and fabric, hold embroidered elements on textile collages, symbolizing the passage of time and the evolution of memory. Fragments of a lost past, inspired by childhood memories, transform into a tribute to the beauty of individual uniqueness and the plurality of inner universes. The work reflects a continuous transformation, enriched by reflections on loss, society, and everyday experience, inviting deep contemplation and an exploration of the hybridization between individuals, nature, and history.

SCD STUDIO

The NATURALES QUAESTIONES project is conceived and promoted by SCD STUDIO, an Italian association based in Perugia dedicated to the dissemination, experimentation, and promotion of contemporary art, with a particular focus on fiber art. Its commitment to exchange and connections has led to projects across Italy, European-wide contests for museum and institutional exhibitions, and the publication of event catalogues. Through extensive research, SCD STUDIO has developed numerous exhibitions, festivals, discussions, book presentations, documentary screenings, studio visits, and relational art interventions. The studio continues its mission of bridging knowledge and relationships that transcend space and time, fostering cross-cultural and intergenerational dialogues while reinterpreting ancient techniques through a contemporary lens.

CASERMARCHEOLOGICA AND PALAZZO MUGLIONI

CasermArcheologica emerged from the regeneration of Palazzo Muglioni, a historic building in Sansepolcro dating back to 1536. Over the centuries, it has served as a noble residence, a cultural center, the first headquarters of Buitoni, a Carabinieri barracks, and a school. After years of abandonment, in 2013, a group of students from Liceo “Città di Piero,” led by Professor Ilaria Margutti, initiated its restoration, transforming it into a space for creativity and collaboration. Today, CasermArcheologica is a model of cultural regeneration, intertwining historical memory with social and artistic innovation. Palazzo Muglioni has become a permanent space for contemporary art, co-working, and education, consolidating its role as a cultural hub in Sansepolcro.


TECHNICAL DETAILS:

Title: NATURALES QUAESTIONES | HYBRIDIZATION
Artists: Jorgelina Alessandrelli, Gudrun Bartenberger-Geyer, Adeline Contreras,
Monica Giovinazzi, Barbara Grossato, Simone Martinotta, Olga Teksheva
Curated by: Barbara Pavan
Dates:15 March – 31 May 2025
Opening: Saturday, 15 March 2025, at 6:00 PM
Venue: CasermArcheologica, Via Niccolò Aggiunti 55, Sansepolcro AR
Organized by: SCD Studio
Info: www.casermarcheologica.it


Web: www.casermarcheologica.it/