g. olmo stuppia's 'Fireflies in New York' tackles migration and ecological crisis
On October 24, 2024, g. olmo stuppia, an Italian artist born in Milan in 1991, unveiled 'Fireflies in New York' (Lucciole a New York) at the Italian Cultural Institute in New York. This exhibition marks the fifth installment of 'Marrying the Night' (Sposare la notte), which began in 2022 as part of the Public Program at the Italian Pavilion during the 59th Venice Biennale. The piece depicts the maritime journey of three youths traveling from Porto Marghera to Manhattan, utilizing a sail crafted from more than 7,500 pieces of high-fashion waste and historical documents. The initiative tackles ecological issues through performances in polluted areas and links migration data to environmental decline. Upcoming events are planned for Trento, Venice, and Paris.
Key facts
- g. olmo stuppia presented 'Fireflies in New York' on October 24, 2024 at the Italian Cultural Institute in New York.
- The work is the fifth episode of 'Marrying the Night', started in 2022 for the Italian Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale.
- The sail is made from over 7,500 scraps of high-fashion waste and historical emigration documents.
- The sail is burned in front of the Statue of Liberty; ashes are collected in amphorae with AI-generated poems.
- Istat data: over 1 million residents left Italy 2013-2022, including 352,000 aged 25-34, 37.7% with degrees.
- Future events: MUSE Trento (Dec 21, 2024), Spazio Spuma Venice (Feb 21-Mar 30, 2025), Paris venues in 2025.
- Stuppia's great-grandfather Gaetano Greco emigrated from Mazzarino (Caltanissetta) to Buenos Aires in 1887.
- The project references a decapitated concrete Statue of Liberty replica found near Sigonella military base, Catania in 2016.
Entities
Artists
- g. olmo stuppia
- Gaetano Greco
- Auguste Bartholdi
- Camillo Pacetti
- Pier Paolo Pasolini
- Guy Debord
- Chiara Bordin
- Giovanni Rendina
- Stefano Cagol
- Antonio Gambino
- Susanna Dimitri
- Alterazioni Video
- Gilles Deleuze
- Vladimir Mayakovsky
Institutions
- Italian Cultural Institute of New York
- MUSE-Museo delle Scienze di Trento
- Spazio Spuma
- Palazzo Magenta
- Poush
- Padiglione Italia
- Biennale di Venezia
- INHA
- Galerie Colbert
- Fincantieri
- Magazzino Brancaccio
- Centro Padre Puglisi
- Mare Memoria Viva
- Cassata Drone Expanded Archive
- Artribune
Locations
- New York
- Italy
- Porto Marghera
- Venice
- Manhattan
- Mazzarino
- Caltanissetta
- Buenos Aires
- Trento
- Giudecca
- Paris
- Sacca San Girolamo
- Cannaregio
- Sacca San Mattia
- Murano
- Palermo
- Acquasanta
- Arenella
- Brancaccio
- Montepellegrino
- Sigonella
- Catania
- Sicily
- America
- Lido Treporti
- Punta Sabbioni
- Arsenale
- Mose
- via Montalbo
- via Malta 21