Piero Gilardi's Synesthetic Retrospective at MAXXI Explores Nature and Politics

The MAXXI museum in Rome presents 'Piero Gilardi. Nature Forever', a major monographic exhibition covering fifty years of the Turin-born artist's career. Born in 1942, Gilardi invites viewers into a synesthetic dialogue with his works, such as 'Ipogea' (2010) and 'Agues Tortes' (2007), which use artificial materials to mimic natural forms like tree trunks and caves. The exhibition highlights his signature polyurethane foam 'Tappeti-Natura' series, started in 1965, which juxtaposes industrial regularity with organic irregularity. A key work, 'Inverosimile' (1989), symbolizes the encounter between nature and technology. The show also dedicates a section to Gilardi's long-standing political and social activism, where art merges with collective struggle, satirizing historical turning points. The exhibition runs at MAXXI in Rome.