Imago Mundi opens permanent home in Treviso's restored Gallerie delle Prigioni
Imago Mundi, the global non-profit art project founded by Luciano Benetton, has opened a permanent exhibition space in Treviso's Gallerie delle Prigioni, a former Habsburg prison restored by architect Tobia Scarpa. The collection, comprising over 25,000 works from more than 150 countries and native communities, all on 10x12 cm canvases, aims to map global artistic diversity without commercial intent. The inaugural exhibition, 'Sahara: What is Written Will Remain,' curated by Alexandra Etienne, Suzanna Petot, and Nicolas Vamvouklis, features 700 works from Imago Mundi's collections of Libya, Mali, Niger, Algeria, and the Tuareg people, alongside manuscripts, maps, and travel documents. Artists include Rachid Koraichi, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Zoulikha Bouabdellah, Hadia Gana, Zineb Sedira, Jürgen Kleft, and Esmeralda Kosmatopoulos. The space will host a program of meetings, screenings, seminars, and exhibitions. A documentary by Marco Pavan, 'Tutto è scritto,' filmed in Timbuktu, accompanies the show, highlighting the city's ancient libraries endangered by fundamentalist obscurantism.
Key facts
- Imago Mundi was conceived as a global mapping of the art scene, giving equal space to established and emerging artists.
- The project was first shown in 2013 as a collateral event of the Venice Biennale at Fondazione Querini Stampalia.
- The Gallerie delle Prigioni were restored by architect Tobia Scarpa, who also designed the inaugural exhibition's display system.
- The collection includes over 25,000 works from more than 150 countries and native communities.
- The inaugural exhibition 'Sahara: What is Written Will Remain' focuses on calligraphy and cultural heritage.
- The exhibition includes works by Rachid Koraichi, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Zoulikha Bouabdellah, Hadia Gana, Zineb Sedira, Jürgen Kleft, and Esmeralda Kosmatopoulos.
- A documentary by Marco Pavan, 'Tutto è scritto,' filmed in Timbuktu, accompanies the exhibition.
- The space will host a program of meetings, screenings, seminars, and exhibitions.
Entities
Artists
- Luciano Benetton
- Tobia Scarpa
- Alexandra Etienne
- Suzanna Petot
- Nicolas Vamvouklis
- Rachid Koraichi
- Nadia Kaabi-Linke
- Zoulikha Bouabdellah
- Hadia Gana
- Zineb Sedira
- Jürgen Kleft
- Esmeralda Kosmatopoulos
- Marco Pavan
Institutions
- Imago Mundi
- Fondazione Querini Stampalia
- Gallerie delle Prigioni
- Artribune
Locations
- Treviso
- Italy
- Venice
- Dakar
- New York
- Vienna
- Sarajevo
- Rome
- Palermo
- Libya
- Mali
- Niger
- Algeria
- Timbuktu
- Austria
- Greece