Arte Sella inaugurates the solo exhibition Struggle for Existence by Marzia Migliora

The title "Struggle for Existence" references a central concept in Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species", in which survival depends on the strength and adaptability of species.
Today, this competitive view of species interaction is being re-evaluated. Contemporary discourse increasingly focuses not on competition or individual struggle but on mutualism, interdependence, and co-evolution. Survival is now viewed as a process that involves all forms of life, interconnected within a complex system.

This sense of interconnection, as envisioned by Marzia Migliora, gives rise to an increasingly hybrid and fluid world that in her work takes on an ironic, dreamlike, and sometimes unsettling dimension. The artist explores the relationship between nature, human action, and ecological transformation while poetically questioning the forces that are reshaping Nature in an era marked by climate instability and environmental crisis.

The exhibition consists of three chapters. The first chapter consists of three paper dioramas displayed in the niches of Malga Costa, part of a series titled Paradox of Plenty that Migliora began in 2017. These dioramas introduce the exhibition's central theme by reflecting on the fragility of ecosystems. Each diorama is an unstable and mysterious space in which scientific visions and fantastic worlds coexist and the fragile paper from which they are made becomes a symbol of the vulnerability of the environment underscoring the urgency to rethink our relationship with nature. A central subject of one diorama is the bark beetle (Ips typographus), which found an ideal environment in trees weakened or felled by Storm Vaia and has since proliferated uncontrollably, rapidly altering the landscape and habitat of Arte Sella.

In the same space of the Malga Costa, an immersive installation made of paper and paper-mâché occupies almost the entire multifunctional space, giving shape to an imaginary landscape in continuous metamorphosis—a theatrical and enveloping environment populated by organisms that defy classification. The set design created by Migliora interweaves human and natural stories in a narrative of evolving species, where mutant creatures, giant fungi, and mountain silhouettes coexist within a dynamic ecosystem. Completing the installation is an ambient soundscape— Run fast and bite hard, an audio composition created entirely by foley artists Marco Ciorba — exploring the boundaries between natural and artificial, between man-made and nature-born.

The exhibition continues at Villa Strobele with its final section, titled "Cronaca dell'Assenza" (Chronicle of Absence). This part features a group of works on paper that stem from the artist's intervention on the original pages of the historic Sunday newspaper, "La Domenica del Corriere." With a simple yet impactful gesture, the artist erases all human and animal figures from the illustrations, leaving only landscapes, mountains, forests, and valleys to suggest the stories hinted at in the captions. The result is a seemingly empty world that is, nonetheless, rich in meaning—Nature stands as both a witness to the past and a protagonist in a present where humanity has vanished. These works invite viewers to reflect on humanity's fate and the urgent need to listen to the voice of the Earth.

With Struggle for Existence, Marzia Migliora presents a true staging of our relationship with the environment, where art becomes a critical space open to infinite possibilities. The exhibition weaves together diverse languages—theatre, science, literature, and history—to build an eco-centric narrative that challenges our role in the world. Nature here is not just scenery but an active participant in a story where human and non-human lives are bound by relationships of interdependence within a constantly evolving ecosystem. A shared landscape where every form of life takes part—each in its own way—in an ongoing struggle for existence.

This exhibition marks the beginning of a new collaboration with the artist that will culminate in a project dedicated to the reopening of a mountain trail connecting the two exhibition venues.

Damaged during Storm Vaia in 2018, the trail is currently under restoration and will soon be accessible again. In conjunction with Struggle for Existence, the former stable building has also been reopened as an exhibition venue, hosting events featuring art, dance, design, music and theater, thanks to an established partnership with Levico Acque.

The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual catalogue (Italian/English) published by Dario Cimorelli Editore, curated by Lorenzo Fusi.... read the rest of the article»

Published on June 23, 2025

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