Artists Reflect on Nature's Reawakening During Quarantine

In a feature on Artribune, curator Mercedes Auteri presents the works of six Italian artists—Alice Grassi, Giulio Catelli, Carmen Cardillo, Filippo Leonardi, Gosia Turzeniecka, and Filippo Armellin—who explore humanity's relationship with nature during the COVID-19 lockdown. Grassi's project, interrupted by the virus, examines the man-nature bond on Canada's west coast and the devastation of Sicilian palm trees by the red palm weevil since 2004. Catelli paints en plein air, recently fixing a canvas to his windowsill to capture the empty streets and birds. Cardillo's 'Calamite' series documents the decline of birch trees on Mount Etna, linked to climate change and fungal attacks. Leonardi's installation 'Senza ragione' uses military helmets and succulents to critique anthropocentrism. Turzeniecka creates watercolor polaroids of her garden in Asti, celebrating growth. Armellin constructs miniature worlds in his studio, producing photographs that blur reality and fiction. The article argues that while humans are confined, nature is recovering—ozone hole shrinking, fish repopulating—and urges a shift from asking 'why' to 'how' in relating to the natural world.