IT

The need to narrate war and the urgency to build peace are at the heart of the group exhibition on view at gres art 671 in Bergamo until 12 October 2025. The exhibition design is signed by 2050+. 

de bello. notes on war and peace is the first group exhibition at gres art 671, the new cultural hub in Bergamo opened in 2023 in a former industrial area. Curated by director Francesca Acquati in collaboration with 2050+, and conceived by journalist Salvatore Garzillo and war photographer Gabriele Micalizzi, the exhibition addresses the theme of war in a universal way, without analyzing individual conflicts but denouncing violence in all its forms. The aim is to break down historical, physical and geopolitical barriers, using art as a means to transform pain into resilience. The viewer is invited to reflect on the brutality of war and the savagery humans are capable of inflicting upon one another through a narrative that emphasizes the urgency of peace. 
The exhibition unfolds across five thematic sections – apparent peace, alarm, war, ruins, resistance –, each contributing to a collective narrative shaped by the work of more than thirty artists, including Marina Abramović, Joseph Beuys, and Anselm Kiefer. The mediums span from painting to sculpture, from photography to video, and sound. 
The exhibition develops from the curatorial and exhibition design conceived by 2050+ (Erica Petrillo and Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli), an interdisciplinary studio that combines curatorial practices and architecture. The installation consists of prefabricated bricks and concrete that, when assembled, evoke the appearance of a dismembered house: soft lighting, openings in the walls and rubble create a deeply emotional experience. 

THE EXHIBITION “DE BELLO. NOTES ON WAR AND PEACE” IN BERGAMO 

The precariousness of peace and the advance of war through propaganda characterize the first section of the exhibition, dedicated to apparent peace. In the second section ‒ alarm ‒, the exhibition is structured to engage the viewer even more. One finds oneself in an environment loaded with sounds, sirens and drones ‒ activated without warning and perceived as threats. As visitors move deeper into the space, unease intensifies. A monochromatic labyrinth of walls grows taller, culminating in the central section – war. These towering, suffocating structures do not allow one to look beyond. The eye thus focuses on the large tapestries displaying the photography of Gabriele Micalizzi. These works convey the chaos of conflict, the fight for freedom, and the quiet, haunting endurance that follows devastation. Ruins, the penultimate section, unfolds through a narrow corridor where there are works that express the idea of devastation and what remains. Among them is Alfredo Jaar’s 2013 lightbox Milan, 1946: Lucio Fontana visits his studio on his return from Argentina, capturing the artist walking over the ruins of his bombed-out workspace. 

THE EXHIBITION DESIGN BY 2050+ 

The final section – resistance – closes the exhibition on a note of resilience. Here, war-torn landscapes, shattered walls, and scattered objects are reframed as symbols of endurance. One poignant example is Joseph Beuys’ 1969 Sled (Schlitten), which evokes his own wartime survival and healing through materials imbued with metaphorical meanings. In this closing space, the heavy walls recede. Natural light floods in through large windows overlooking the internal garden, suggesting clarity, recovery, and hope after a harrowing journey through conflict. 
With this project, 2050+ has done more than staging an exhibition. They’ve crafted an immersive experience – a spatial manifesto that amplifies the core message of the show: reject war. Now and always. 

Maddalena Domenghini 

https://gresart671.org/it/activities/de-bello-notes-on-war-and-peace

Translated with AI