IT

Angolan-Portuguese artist Ana Silva presents her work for the first time within an Italian institution. The exhibition “Eau”, on view through 6 September 2026, at Spazio Zero of GAMeC in Bergamo and curated by Lorenzo Giusti, addresses urgent socio-cultural issues of the present, critiquing the unchecked consumption of an essential resource such as water and the broader effects of globalization.

The pressing issue of access to water lies at the heart of the solo exhibition by Ana Silva (Calulo, 1979) at GAMeC in Bergamo. Installed in Spazio Zero, the show brings together two new series of textile works: Agua (2024-25) ‒ conceived specifically for the show ‒ and Guardiãs (2024-25), which engage in dialogue with the earlier series O Fardo / Vestir Memórias (2023). Through the language of embroidery, the artist denounces the scarcity of a resource essential to survival, particularly in contexts where it is not a right but a privilege. In this light, Silva depicts landscapes that trace the geography of her own biography ‒ from Angola, her country of birth, to Portugal and Brazil.

ANA SILVA’S EXHIBITION IN BERGAMO                                                                                            

The most recent series feature environments ranging from semi-desert areas to lush ecosystems, such as the savanna during the rainy season. These settings are interwoven with female figures ‒ symbols of generosity and renewal ‒ and children, guardians of intergenerational memory and the environment. It is often the latter who carry heavy containers of drinking water in the poorest communities of the African continent.
A significant theme, which Silva addresses with remarkable subtlety. Her works are made from a light, semi-transparent material crinoline, that allows her to work on a large scale, revealing the various stages of production and the process behind each piece. The subjects are initially rendered using machine embroidery ‒ a practice traditionally associated with men in Angola ‒ and are then reworked through Silva’s manual intervention, introducing decorative details. 
On the occasion of the exhibition ‒ part of the cultural program Pedagogy of Hope, promoted by GAMeC in 2026 ‒ Ana Silva initiated a collaboration with a network of local embroiderers, invited to intervene in her works, transforming embroidery into a relational artistic practice. The program’s title refers to the pedagogical writings of Brazilian thinker Paulo Freire and is inspired by the concept of “education as shared learning and a tool for emancipation and social transformation”, highlighting the role of educational action within the museum context. Upon entering the first room, visitors encounter a combination of works from which figures in shifting colors emerge, appearing suspended and layered in space. In dialogue with the bright, white setting ‒ a perfect white cube ‒ that frames them and enhances their presence, the works create an ethereal imagery, as though merging with the surrounding environment.

THE WORKS CREATED BY ANA SILVA
In the series O Fardo / Vestir Memórias, the artist instead employs industrial materials: plastic sacks commonly used in markets to transport second-hand clothing from the Global North to the Global South. Approximately 80% of these garments cannot be reused, ending up burned or, in the worst cases, discarded at sea. In this way, Silva reclaims the waste of a consumerist system, reconfiguring an ecosystem that speaks to sustainability and socio-economic relations. The sacks thus become new surfaces on which to embroider human figures ‒primarily women and children encountered in African markets ‒ telling a broader story. Unlike the more recent series, these works originate directly from the act of embroidery and do not develop through successive layering. Although this technique prevents the clear identification of the depicted subjects, it becomes a means to subvert the logic of globalized systems: embroidery is an ancient practice, slow and requiring dedication, standing in opposition to the speed of fast fashion. Manual labor, therefore, is not only tied to environmental concerns but also to cultural and social ones.
The works displayed in the second room are likewise suspended in a white, neutral spatial frame that enhances their vivid colors and decorative patterns. This effective display strategy fosters a silent dialogue between the viewer and Silva’s works, prompting a deeper reflection on the urgencies of our time.
The exhibition ultimately offers a compelling response to the need for inclusive and participatory cultural narratives and practices of social critique.

Elena Mutti

Ana Silva’s exhibition at GAMeC in Bergamo

The text has been translated in English using AI