Paola Pivi. Art of universe
27 May – 26 July
As part of Art Research World Exhibition – ARWE, the project developed by the Accademia Albertina and dedicated to the internationalization of institutions within Higher Artistic and Musical Education (AFAM), the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo presents Art of universe, a solo exhibition by Paola Pivi (Milan, Italy, 1971).
The exhibition further strengthens the longstanding collaboration between the artist and the Foundation, which began in 1998 with her participation in Guarene Arte ’98 and has continued over the years through numerous exhibition projects. The works gathered here span Pivi’s entire career, ranging from pieces created in the early 2000s to very recent productions.
The title of the exhibition project, Art of universe, connects the show to a workshop led by the artist for students of the Accademia Albertina, in the context of her role as ARWE International Ambassador 2026. During the workshop, Pivi invited students to share ideas for highly ambitious or large-scale artworks, offering her expertise in the realization of complex and monumental projects. Through sophisticated technical solutions, her art succeeds in disrupting our habitual systems of perception, generating a sense of wonder that allows us to reconsider familiar realities in renewed and deeper ways.
Taken as a whole, the exhibition becomes an invitation to become aware of the interconnections between the elements of the world, through a dialogue between distinctly human-made objects and forms that evoke the animal realm, as in the series Time Machine (2016–2026), composed of bicycle wheels surrounded by bird feathers. Each wheel is given an evocative title conceived by Karma Culture Brothers. The bronze sculpture Live again (2026), meanwhile, is composed of hyperrealistic lemon trees gathered around a central point to form the shape of a star. In her practice, the artist sometimes also reverses the scale of objects, as in the miniature version of Zanotta Design’s iconic beanbag chair titled Untitled (little bag-armchair) (2000), presented soaked in water and perfume. At other times, Pivi combines figures and materials in unexpected ways, as in Have you seen me before? (2008), a pale yellow feather-covered polar bear inspired by her experience living in Alaska.
Also as part of ARWE 2026, the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo will host the exhibition Sconfinamenti. Geografie del segno, one section of which will also be presented at the Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti di Torino. The exhibition features works by Matteo Bonino, Silvia Canavesio, Francesco Feltri, Eleonora Fracchia, Simona Isabello, Luis Pardo Silva and Antoneta Sulmina.
The exhibition Art of universe by Paola Pivi has been organized by the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo within the framework of ARWE – Art Research World Expo, promoted by the Accademia Albertina. Project Manager: Salvo Bitonti, Director of the Accademia Albertina. Scientific Coordinator: Gaetano Centrone, with the collaboration of Elena Abbiatici and Natalia Moncada Bustamante, PhD candidates in Curatorial Practices at the Accademia Albertina. Exhibition Secretary: Francesca Disconzi.
The event is funded through resources allocated by the PNRR fund financed by the European Union – National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Mission 4 Component 1 Investment 3.4, Sub-investment T5 “Strategic Partnerships / Initiatives to Innovate the International Dimension of the AFAM System.” Project title: INAR Italian Network of Artistic Research and Art Education World Expo 2026, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, at the Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti di Torino, under PNRR Mission 4 Component 1 “Strengthening educational services from nursery schools to universities,” Investment 3.4 “Advanced university teaching and skills,” Sub-investment T5 “Strategic partnerships / Initiatives to innovate the international dimension of the AFAM system”: WP4 of the PNRR project INAR – International Network of Artistic Research and Art Education World Expo 2026.
