Voyage vers Humanity’s greening of Planet Earth Photos by Mario del Curto

  • Location: Belgrade City Museum, Resavska 40b
  • Date: March 23 – April 29, 2018
  • Organisation:

    Belgrade City Museum and the Swiss Embassy of Belgrade
  • Impressum:

    Mario del Curto, author of the exhibition and the exhibited photographs; Céline Mousel, Mirjana Lafata and Marija Stošić, exhibition coordinators; Marija Konjikušić, visual identity; Fragile, production

The exhibition Voyage vers... Humanity’s greening of Planet Earth – photos by Mario del Curto presents the works of the Swiss photographer, Mario del Curto, who has maintained artistic ties with Serbia for many years. It features a story in 300 pictures from Del Curto’s eight-year journey around the world – from Japan, Kazakhstan, Madagascar and Morocco to Mexico, Peru, Tajikistan, France, Switzerland, Serbia and many other countries. The exhibition is a reaction to the development of "humanity that has distanced itself too much from the earth”, and the artist calls to reflect on how we treat the plant world, stressing: "With this project, I seek to show a part of the long history of relationships between humans and plants. I also want to talk about the destruction of the environment, which has already started, about the adaptability of plants, the beauty of flowers, so well described in mythology, about great gardeners’ skills, a different way of thinking in cities, the elegance of a gynoecium, the branching of a tree...the endless truth.”

While travelling around the world, Del Curto photographed workers’ and botanical gardens, city scenes, unrepeatable sights, botanical research laboratories... His dedication and the sharpness of his perception endowed the photos with vigour and a peculiar sensibility. The Belgrade audience will be able to see them from March 23 to April 29.

As a self-taught photographer, Mario del Curto (1955, Switzerland) became involved in photography while reporting on social movements in Switzerland during the 1970s. He later reported on theatre and dance as an independent photographer, developing his own style of scene photography. Since the 1980s, he has been interested in Art Brut and has dedicated a number of exhibitions, works and films to it. He has long been exploring the relationship between humans and the plant world. He has exhibited his works all over the world and his photographs can be found in several international galleries and museums, including the Musée de l'Élysée and the Collection de l'art brut, where he is also a member of the Advisory Board.

The first contacts of the photographer Mario del Curto with Serbia date back to the 1990s and they are rooted in his strong interest in Art Brut. Since 2000, he has been collaborating on many projects with the Museum of Naive and Marginal Art in Jagodina. In 2002, his first exhibition in Belgrade was organized by the Association of Fine Artists of Serbia at the Cvijeta Zuzorić Pavilion.

The present exhibition is part of the programme of the Days of Belgrade, an event held every year from April 16 to April 19. On the occasion of celebrating the Earth Day, April 22, a stage performance will be organized by the artistic group Cultural Element at the exhibition venue.

The exhibition is supported by the Swiss Embassy in Belgrade and the Pro Helvetia Foundation.

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