Castel Belasi – Contemporary Art Center for Eco Thought

Castel Belasi – Center for Contemporary Art for Ecological Thought in Campodenno (Trento) presents the exhibition “Signal from the Ground” (on view until October 25), an official satellite event of the Republic of Nauru’s National Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.
Forging an unexpected bridge between the Alps and Nauru—the world’s smallest island nation and a symbol of ecological precarity and colonial extractivism—the exhibition, curated by artistic director Stefano Cagol, reflects on ecology and geology. It prompts visitors to consider crucial contemporary issues such as ecosystem degradation, urban sprawl, and the exploitation of resources and rare earth minerals—factors increasingly fundamental to global balances.
The exhibition unfolds across the castle’s main floor, showcasing works by around twenty international contemporary artists—including those featured in the Biennale pavilion and beyond—such as Greenland’s Jessie Kleemann, America’s Mary Mattingly, Georgia’s Tedo Rekhviashvili, and Nauruan poet and musician Kauw Tsitsi, who contributes the lyrics to one of his poignant songs. These artworks engage with a selection of rarely exhibited scientific specimens—so-called “useful minerals”—linked to the region’s millennia-old mining history and drawn from the collections of MUSE (Science Museum of Trento).
The Project Room presents works by young artists and texts by emerging curators. The exhibition is organized in collaboration with MUSE – Science Museum of Trento, a cultural partner of Castel Belasi since September 2024.
Artists: Jessie Kleemann (Greenland), Mary Mattingly (USA), Kauw Tsitsi (Nauru), Tedo Rekhviashvili (Georgia), Patricia Jacomella Bonola (Switzerland), Ron Laboray (USA), Sylvia Grace Borda (Canada), Khaled Hafez (Egypt), Dorian Batycka (Poland), Nina E. Schönefeld (Germany), Stefano Cagol (Italy), Sergey Kishchenko (Russia), Elena Lavellés (Spain), Luis Carrera-Maul (Mexico), Aldo Valentinelli (Italy), Osvaldo Maffei (Italy), Giancarlo Norese (Italy), Iv Toshain (Austria).
Project Room
Artists: Alice Francesca Caporale, Maria Pia Di Paola, Davide Miceli, Maura Prosperi, Citlali Sanchez, Peng Shuai Paolo
Critical contributions: Camilla Chiari, Alice Taraboi