OPEN Exhibition at Palazzo Buontalenti Questions the Invisible Economy

In Florence, Palazzo Buontalenti hosts 'OPEN', an exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of the European University Institute (EUI). Curated by Sergio Risaliti and Stefania Rispoli in dialogue with historian Johanna Gautier-Morin, the show draws from the research project 'Measuring the Invisible Economy'. It examines what official measurements exclude: domestic work, natural resources, unpaid care, subsistence agriculture, offshore finance, and environmental costs like pollution and biodiversity loss. The exhibition unfolds across the palace and garden, featuring works by Riccardo Previdi, Leone Contini, Agnieszka Polska, Berlinde De Bruyckere, Eglė Budvytytė, and Elena Mazzi. Four conceptual pillars—irreversibility, exhaustion, mutation, and gathering—structure the narrative. Gautier-Morin emphasizes that measurement is political, as GDP prioritizes production and monetary exchange. The EUI President Patrizia Nanz is cited on the institute's founding vision of Europe built through knowledge and culture. The exhibition runs until October 12, 2026.