Tarquinia, Italy (11 April-11 May 2025) . sacra. ecologia dentro (sacred. ecology within) is the latest art exhibition by Marcello Silvestri, an Italian artist that has been exploring for decades the relationship between art and faith through his contemporary artistic production. Reflecting on the dramatic consequences of pollution and of climate change, inspired by the readings of Laudato Si (both St Francis of Assisi's canticle written 800 years ago and Pope Francis' encyclical of 2015) the exhibition seeks to raise awareness of environmental challenges, urges viewers to meditate this "within", in order to develop an "ecological conscience". Driven by Marcello's mystical relationship with the Maremma countryside where he lives, and by decades-long involvement of Marcello in the ecumenical movement and in social work among marginalised communities, this exhibition significantly takes place in the Jubilee year, where the Catholic Church invites all people of good will to become "Pilgrims of Hope". The duration of the exhibition (which opens on 11 April and closes on 11 May) includes two significant dates: Easter day, 20 April (this year it is celebrated simultaneously by all Christian denominations and coincides with the last day of the Jewish Passover), and Earth day, 22 April, designated since 1970 as a day to promote ecological attention to our planet. The exhibition is promoted by the Società Tarquiniense di Arte e Storia, e leading cultural institution in Tarquinia (the ancient Etruscan and Medieval city where Marcello resides), and it is curated by internationally renowned art director Lia Beltrami, with her platform Emotions to Generate Change. The catalogue, curated by Beltrami, includes a contribution by a prominent Italian art critic, Gianluca Marziani, with whom Marcello has a longstanding collaboration through the previous exhibition, The Gift of Nature (2021).
Hear Marcello illustrating the meaning of the exhibition in this videoclip (in Italian)
View Marcello Silvestri's artworks in this video created by Antonella Agueli upon idea and direction by the Maestro: