Silvia Canton's 'ORO' at Tanzania Pavilion, Venice Biennale

The Tanzania Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale presents 'ORO', a solo exhibition by Silvia Canton, as the fifth installment of the Diary program. Curated by Martina Cavallarin and Antonio Caruso, the show opens July 3 at Gervasuti Foundation at Supernova and runs through July 26. Canton, who studied scenography at Rome's Accademia di Belle Arti and worked in theater costume before turning to painting in 2007, collects bark from trees felled by Storm Vaia (2018) and subsequent bark beetle infestations in Alpine forests. She coats these fragments in gold, silver, or copper leaf, transforming them into sculptural paintings that preserve ecological memory. The title 'ORO' references the preciousness of endangered landscapes, not ornamental value. Canton collaborates with scientists and forestry experts since 2021. The exhibition extends themes of identity, landscape, and transformation from the main pavilion project 'Minor Frequencies: The Inner Life Of A Nation' by Lorna Benedict Mashiba and Martina Cavallarin.