Jean-Michel Folon's Vatican Exhibition Explores Ecology and Human Rights

The Vatican Museums present 'Folon: l’etica della poesia', a major exhibition of eighty works by Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon (1934–2005), curated by Stéphanie Angelroth, Micol Forti, and Marilena Pasquali. Housed in the Borgia Tower, the show spans themes of urban alienation, war, and universal human rights. Folon, known for his bowler-hatted alter ego Monsieur Quelqu’un, anticipated contemporary issues like technology's dehumanizing effects and ecological destruction as early as the 1970s. A highlight is the 1983 watercolor 'Toujours plus', satirizing Cold War arms escalation with bombs feeding missiles like goldfish. The exhibition also features Folon's 1988 illustrations for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, where he depicted violations to provoke reflection. The show includes the 'Stanze della Speranza' (Rooms of Hope), offering a visionary counterpoint through works like the sculpture 'Angelo custode'. Writer Ray Bradbury praised Folon for giving 'simple answers to complex questions' and transforming awareness of injustice into light.