Every spring, Milan Art Week transforms the city into a vibrant hub of contemporary art, drawing artists, collectors, and enthusiasts from around the world. The event features exhibitions, performances, and installations in museums, galleries, and public spaces, offering an international stage for artistic dialogue and experimentation.
An Unexpected Meadow in the Sala delle Cariatidi at Palazzo Reale
During Milan Art Week, artist Nico Vascellari presents Pastorale, a striking and immersive installation at Palazzo Reale’s Sala delle Cariatidi (April 1 – June 2, free entry).
This historical space, scarred by war yet a symbol of resilience and rebirth, famously hosted Pablo Picasso’s Guernica in 1953. Now, it welcomes a radical transformation: a meadow of wild plants, unapologetically persistent.
Nico Vascellari is one of the most innovative voices in contemporary art. His multidisciplinary approach spans sculpture, installation, performance, and sound art. He often explores themes of nature, resistance, and the interplay between the organic and the artificial.
Vascellari’s work has been exhibited in major international institutions, including the Venice Biennale, Palais de Tokyo, and MAXXI in Rome
Pastorale is not about peace or war, but about resistance—the will to endure.
It’s an unexpected, radical intervention
Vascellari explains.
At the heart of the installation lies a patch of earth, equipped with a hidden irrigation system. Every twelve minutes, a loud explosion echoes through the hall, scattering thousands of seeds—considered weeds, often removed—onto the soil. Over time, they will sprout and grow, transforming the space organically.
A Metaphor for Resilience
This project resonates deeply in a world marred by conflict, destruction, and a fragile relationship with nature. Vascellari recalls a childhood memory: “As a boy, I once swallowed a cherry pit. I was terrified, imagining a tree growing inside me, its trunk pushing through my mouth. Today, that thought no longer frightens me—it feels like an ideal to aspire to.”
Moreover, the installation’s impact extends beyond the exhibition’s duration. All materials will be repurposed, and the plants donated, ensuring their continued life beyond the gallery space. For Vascellari, who grew up in the forests of Vittorio Veneto, nature is a source of inspiration—a force that withstands human destruction and offers a path to renewal.
Building Upon a Legacy of Large-Scale Projects
Building upon this theme, Pastorale follows the artist’s previous large-scale projects, such as Melma at Forte Belvedere and Alessio, a performance in Palazzo Vecchio’s Salone dei Cinquecento in Florence.
These works explore the eternal interplay between nature and history, personal and collective events, and the balance of opposing forces.
The installation as “a reinterpretation of a space filled with memory, turning it into a place for reflection on the relationship between nature, remembrance, and rebirth.” The wild plants—resilient, unyielding—will continue to grow, evolve, and transform over time, embodying the very essence of resistance.