Silvia Mariotti – Anime di Cristallo

The Karussell APS Association presents “Anime di Cristallo”, a two-year research project by the artist Silvia Mariotti, currently underway between Italy and Portugal. The project, supported by the Direzione Generale Creatività Contemporanea of the Italian Ministry of Culture within the Italian Council program (13th edition, 2024), and aimed at promoting Italian contemporary art internationally, developed from an in-depth investigation into the geological, botanical, and cultural features of the Azores archipelago. This research was carried out through an artist residency at Re-Act Contemporary Art Laboratory on the island of Terceira, during which Silvia Mariotti created an installation resulting from a study that explores the relationships between organic and inorganic matter, as well as the processes through which nature adapts to human interference. The work has been featured in exhibitions in Portugal, and from April 4 to May 15, 2026, it is hosted by the Karussell APS Association in Fermo at Rivafiorita in Porto San Giorgio (Fermo), with a solo exhibition by the artist and a workshop. The final assembly and concluding exhibition are scheduled for summer 2026 at the MACTE – Museum of Contemporary Art of Termoli.

The research project: “Anime di Cristallo”
“Anime di Cristallo” draws inspiration from the theories of the biologist and philosopher Ernst Haeckel (reinterpreted and expanded through the research of Italian scientist Laura Tripaldi), who attributed a form of intelligence to inorganic matter. Mariotti’s works question the role of human beings in the transformation of nature and explore hypothetical life forms generated by the union of natural and artificial elements, human and non-human alike. Observing their transformations and contaminations lies at the very core of the project. The Azores Islands, characterized by lush vegetation, volcanic terrain, and unique biodiversity, provide an ideal setting for exploring these themes. Here, nature has undergone profound transformations over the centuries due to colonization and the introduction of alien plant species. Mariotti’s work seeks to represent these changes through the coexistence of organisms and materials, emphasizing the inseparable bond between humans, the environment, and the inorganic world. Through a combination of photography and sculpture, the artist simulates hybrid ecosystems in which imaginary creatures—born from the fusion of organic and inorganic elements—appear as contemporary fossils or evolving biomes. These works evoke worlds suspended in time, offering a reflection on humanity’s role in altering the natural environment and on how nature itself, even in its inorganic dimension, can adapt and respond in astonishing ways to even the most disruptive forces. “Anime di Cristallo” represents a profound investigation into nature as a constantly evolving organism, capable of fostering and generating essence in all its mutable forms, and of confronting anthropogenic interference by surprisingly turning it to its own advantage, in a renewed process of self-structuring.

The Anime di Cristallo project followed a well-defined timeline, structured into several phases of research, production, and exhibition starting from 2025. The first exhibition phase took place at the Portuguese institution MUHNAC – Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência in Lisbon, Portugal, with a solo show in January 2025, presenting a single part of the installation produced. Between May and June 2025, the artist was accompanied by the curators of the Re-Act Contemporary artist residency for an exploration of the natural heritage of the Azores, as well as for the collection of botanical and inorganic materials from the islands and gardens. In autumn 2025, the second exhibition phase was developed as an outcome of the residency carried out in the previous months, hosted at the IAC – Instituto Açoriano da Cultura in Angra do Heroísmo, on Terceira Island, in collaboration with Re-Act Contemporary. This was followed by the subsequent Italian stages scheduled for this year.