Giorgia Severi: Sculpture, Farming, and Beuys in Rural Emilia-Romagna

Giorgia Severi (born 1984, Ravenna) is a sculptor and drawer who has moved her practice to the countryside. At Borgo Pasini, a small locality in Emilia-Romagna, she cultivates vegetables for top chefs while conducting research on disappearing landscapes. Trained in mosaic and restoration at Ravenna's Academy of Fine Arts, she was influenced by Cesare Brandi's 'Theory of Restoration,' seeing in it an ecological approach to art. She applies restoration techniques like frottage and direct casting to capture textures of glaciers and forests erased by human action. After living abroad, including Australia (2014–2017), she returned to Italy to renovate a farmhouse near Cervia. In 2015, she participated in the 56th Venice Biennale with the collateral pavilion 'Country,' alongside Indigenous Australian artists. At Borgo Pasini, she runs 'Cultura Coltura,' a project merging scientific and artistic research, agricultural and cultural practices, food, and humanity. She manages Orto Zangàl, an organic farm producing flour, vegetables, aromatic herbs, and edible flowers. She cites Joseph Beuys's concept of 'social sculpture' as a guiding principle. Her work aims to raise awareness on environmental and climate issues, testing theories in the province before taking them elsewhere.