ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Paolo Ventura's War Narratives at MAG Riva del Garda

exhibition · 2026-05-04

Paolo Ventura (born 1968 in Milan) presents a new exhibition at MAG Riva del Garda, merging past projects on World War I with the untold story of Mario S. and Carlo M., two conscripts who left Arco for the front. Ventura blends photography, painting, and model-making to transcend what he sees as photography's limiting directness and realism. His aim is to evoke the irrational through suggestive images and create a dynamic narrative sequence. The depiction of Mario and Carlo is formally detached, yet this very quality conveys the horrific slaughter of men. They move like automatons across the stage of their fate, their faces expressing metaphysical bewilderment frozen in tragedy. The exhibition is curated by Claudio Cucco (born 1954 in Malles Venosta, now resident in Rovereto), a philosophy graduate from Bologna, director of the Calliano library, and art critic specializing in contemporary art and architecture.

Key facts

  • Paolo Ventura was born in Milan in 1968.
  • The exhibition is held at MAG Riva del Garda.
  • The show combines past projects on World War I with the story of Mario S. and Carlo M., two conscripts from Arco.
  • Ventura uses photography, painting, and model-making.
  • Ventura finds photography limiting because it is too direct and tied to reality.
  • The artist aims to narrate the irrational through evocative images and dynamic sequences.
  • The representation of Mario and Carlo is formally aseptic, conveying the horror of war.
  • Claudio Cucco, born 1954 in Malles Venosta, is the curator and critic.

Entities

Artists

  • Paolo Ventura
  • Mario S.
  • Carlo M.
  • Claudio Cucco

Institutions

  • MAG Riva del Garda
  • Biblioteca di Calliano

Locations

  • Milan
  • Italy
  • Riva del Garda
  • Arco
  • Malles Venosta
  • Rovereto
  • Bologna
  • Calliano

Sources