Milan, Angelo Cruciani turns Via dei Mercanti into a Bestiary

In Milan, Via dei Mercanti has been transformed into a work of art thanks to the inauguration of Bestiario, the large urban installation signed by eclectic artist Angelo Cruciani. This project, designed to make people rediscover the unique, complex and inescapable relationship between man, nature and animals, is an invitation to re-establish a balance with the environment to save ourselves and the planet. The initiative, conceived by Stefania Morici, is produced and organized by Arteventi and BeeBest in collaboration with Pubblimil, with special advice from Patrizio Travagli. The event is supported by the City of Milan under the patronage of “Milano è viva” and WWF.

During the inauguration, thousands of butterflies were released for their first flight, a symbolic gesture to remember the 3,300 animals that died and the 76,000 that were killed due to the Seveso disaster. This emotionally impactful moment was meant to emphasize the importance of our relationship with nature. The butterflies will go on to repopulate Milan’s gardens and parks, symbolizing rebirth and renewal.

Bestiary invites us to see animals as sacred forms of life. Angelo Cruciani describes a universe as a living system in constant flux, which we all need to take care of, becoming aware that we do not own the world. The exhibition narrates an enchanted world, highlighting the immense richness represented by the presence of animals and nature on our planet. The installation creates a visual game that expresses profound meanings, juxtaposing the animals portrayed with sacred iconography and the light of the vital spark present in every form of life. Cruciani takes us toward a future that smacks of danger, telling us about animal species at risk of extinction and a world that could lose its true nature if we do not take action to defend it.

The exhibition was created thanks to the collaboration of a network of important partners who believed in the project. Key supporters include Novacolor, a brand of San Marco Group SpA, which provided some of its Metallics finishes with a biomass-based “green” formulation (RedCert2), Sammontana, Meltar Boutique Hotel and Villa Bonomo Charme Hotel as Special Partners. Gobbetto Resine contributed as Technical Partner, Italmondo as Logistic Partner, BS Urban Adv as Advertising Partner, Sergio Caminita for Graphic Design, Round for Video Production, and Giorgio Angelico as Video Artist. Strategy and artistic communication were handled by Clelia Patella, with overall coordination by Simona Sansonetti and Andrea Botta. Tommaso Troia handled the practical assistance and permissions, with a special collaboration from Butterflies for Events.

Statements

"Bestiary," says Milan City Councilor for Culture Tommaso Sacchi, “has its roots in a past when these didactic works were used to disseminate moral and religious teachings, and it interprets this ambition by invading urban space in a way that is deliberately alienating, to deliver an important message: our behaviors are harming the planet, an earth of which we feel we are the sole owners, but which we share with so many living species for which, very often, our choices are harmful. It is crucial that this message finds space and voice in a place like Via Mercanti, so busy and central, to witness its relevance and reach as many people as possible.”

“Angelo Cruciani’s animals,” explains curator Stefania Morici, “will express the sacredness of life and nature, which must be protected and respected. The goal is to make viewers aware of the protection of wild life and the preservation of the ecosystem to ensure a better future for humans and animals. With this large installation, therefore, we will give a new look at what surrounds us, using painting as a medium to convey messages that are now impossible to ignore.”

“We are happy to have been able to give the city a work that can be experienced,” says artist Angelo Cruciani. “I was inspired by medieval bestiaries that were a simple way to tell about creation. Bestiary 2024 was conceived with a new value. The animals have a halo, to emphasize the sacredness of the animal. The perfection of all creation is a continuous lesson to man, which is often supplanted by selfishness and the belief that everything is ours, when in fact nothing really belongs to anyone. Man is the most dangerous animal in nature. We must learn to protect the weakest. We must remember that we do not own the planet.”

“Urban Nature - Nature in the City,” says WWF Lombardy President Gianni Del Pero," has for years been an initiative promoted by WWF to highlight the value of Nature and the need to innovate the way we think about and experience urban spaces. Bestiary picks up this message by bringing Nature in the City, offering an extraordinary opportunity to reflect on the need and importance of implementing multiple virtuous actions to make People Know and Love Nature, protect and increase biodiversity in urban systems. Inaugurating Angelo Cruciani’s urban installation a stone’s throw from Milan Cathedral, precisely on July 10, the anniversary of the most serious environmental accident in history, that of Dioxin known as Seveso on July 10, 1976, also takes on a special meaning for us : to remember that We are Nature and that without respecting Nature, Man cannot survive."

“With the release of butterflies, we celebrate our relationship with nature and emphasize the importance of biodiversity and environmental protection,” stresses Emanuele Rigato, MD Evolutionary Biology, PhD Ecology, Evolution & Conservation, CEO Smart Bugs. "Butterflies, besides being symbols of transformation and freedom, are essential to our ecosystem. They play a crucial role in pollination, contributing to the proliferation of a huge variety of wild plants that support the lives of countless other living species. Also moving tens if not hundreds or thousands of kilometers in their short winged adult lives, they promote gene flows over great distances, promoting genetic diversity in plants. Their presence, critical therefore for biodiversity, is an indicator of a healthy and balanced environment. Angelo Cruciani’s art installation Bestiary invites us to reflect on our connection with nature. After the closed period of Covid-19, we rediscovered how interconnected we are with the natural world. Today, with the flight of butterflies, we renew our commitment to protect biodiversity and promote sustainable practices. This symbolic gesture represents our hope for a future where humans and nature coexist in harmony. Butterflies remind us of the importance of caring for our planet to ensure a better future for all life forms."

Milan, Angelo Cruciani turns Via dei Mercanti into a Bestiary

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