Fire Threatens Stefano Cerio's Photo Installation on Fires in Sicily

A wildfire in Gibellina, Sicily, threatened Stefano Cerio's outdoor photographic installation 'The Redemption of Nature', which addresses the aftermath of wildfires in the Mediterranean. The fire was extinguished by firefighters before reaching the works, but the surrounding hillside was completely burned. Cerio described the event as an 'involuntary performance' and 'surreal'. The installation, inaugurated a month prior, consists of seven large panels (2x3 meters) depicting Pantelleria after the 2016 Montagna Grande fire, with digitally extended red fire retardant liquid. It serves as a preview for a larger exhibition at MudaC in Carrara opening September 12, and is part of the book 'The Redemption of Nature' published by Quodlibet in July. The Gibellina exhibition is curated by Arianna Catania for the Sicilian leg and Angela Madesani for the overall project. It is part of Gibellina Capitale Italiana dell'Arte Contemporanea 2026 and GIBELLINA PHOTOROAD festival, and won Strategia Fotografia 2025. Sicily has been the Italian region most affected by wildfires for the fourth consecutive year in 2026, losing over 500 square kilometers of forest and land in 2025 alone. Cerio's previous project on the Brenva glacier, exhibited in Spoleto last year, also addressed climate change, with photographs published in the book 'Brenva' with texts by Stefano Chiodi and Riccardo Venturi.