ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Pietro Ruffo's Rome Exhibition Explores Planetary Destruction

exhibition · 2026-04-27

Pietro Ruffo's new exhibition at Galleria Lorcan O'Neill in Rome presents a body of work that layers narratives from deep time to the Anthropocene, reflecting on humanity's role as a 'geological superpower' capable of extinguishing life on Earth. The show references the Kyoto Protocol, IPCC reports, and failed climate conferences, drawing on authors Mark Maslin, Simon Lewis, and Yuval Harari. Ruffo transforms paleoclimatological data into memento mori imagery, with plants and skulls set against geographic maps, evoking Piranesi's utopian visions. The exhibition runs in 2023.

Key facts

  • Exhibition at Galleria Lorcan O'Neill in Rome
  • Artist: Pietro Ruffo (born 1978, Rome)
  • Works reference Kyoto Protocol and IPCC reports
  • Influences include Mark Maslin, Simon Lewis, Yuval Harari
  • Imagery combines plants, skulls, and geographic maps
  • Evokes Piranesi's utopian visions
  • Theme: humanity as self-destructive geological force
  • Exhibition year: 2023

Entities

Artists

  • Pietro Ruffo
  • Yuval Harari
  • Mark Maslin
  • Simon Lewis
  • Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Institutions

  • Galleria Lorcan O'Neill
  • Artribune

Locations

  • Rome
  • Italy

Sources