Colin Snapp's 'Western Monuments' at Siena Botanical Garden

Colin Snapp, an American artist born in 1982, presents 'Western Monuments' at the Tepidarium of the Orto Botanico in Siena, featuring eight large-format photographs and a 12-minute video. The works distort landscape perspectives through filters, assembly, and printing processes, questioning the neutrality of vision. The exhibition is the first residency project of RAIDEN, founded in 2019 by Tommaso Foggini, Nicolas Martin, and Filippo Pecora to host international artists in unique locations. Snapp spent six weeks in autumn 2021 at the 19th-century estate 'La Poderina' near Siena, completing studies begun in 2017 in Berlin. The installation, realized in collaboration with the University of Siena, explores urban and anthropocentric landscapes—shopping malls, tourist attractions, archaeological sites—as layered compromises of experience. The video was previously premiered at 'The Dreamers' section of the Belgrade Biennale 2021. The works harmoniously integrate with the greenhouse's semi-desert plants, symbolizing a contemporary balance between humanity and nature.