Profile and description
The 2019 edition focused on the concept of the "technosphere," exploring the role of technology and industry in shaping the natural environment, human landscapes, and the future of societies.
Main Exhibitions and Artists
The Biennale featured 11 thematic exhibitions spread across various locations in Bologna, offering a complex and multifaceted view of the different aspects of industry.
The main exhibition took place at MAST, the Biennale's beating heart, where international artists captured the transformations in production processes and the impact of technology on human labor through photography.
1. "Anthropocene" - Edward Burtynsky, Jennifer Baichwal, and Nicholas de Pencier
This exhibition delved into how industrial activities have transformed the planet, highlighting the devastating environmental impact.
Burtynsky’s images, together with video installations, depicted landscapes ravaged by mining, deforestation, and industrial construction, confronting viewers with the urgent need to reflect on the Anthropocene, the era in which human activities drastically influence the Earth.
2. "The Control Room" - Thomas Ruff
With a minimalist aesthetic approach, Ruff presented images of old industrial and technological control rooms. The German artist highlighted the cold, functional beauty of spaces where technologies are managed, offering a detached yet revealing look at the invisible control that technology exerts over our lives / read more...
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3. "Machinarium" - Carlo Valsecchi
In this exhibition, Valsecchi showcased Italian industrial structures, offering a visual journey into production sites often closed to the public. His images were characterized by extreme precision and formal clarity, capturing the aesthetic power of industrial machinery while also suggesting the alienating dimension of these spaces.
Themes and Reflections
The 2019 Biennale was deeply rooted in reflections on the consequences of industry and technology on nature and humanity. The term "technosphere" served as a key to understanding how technological progress has irreversibly altered our environment and our relationship with it.
Through the works on display, the public was invited to reflect on urgent issues such as climate change, automation, the future of work, and the impact of digital technologies on contemporary society.
The MAST Experience
The MAST, with its contemporary industrial architecture, was the ideal space to host such a large-scale event. The interaction between the artworks and the building itself created an immersive experience for visitors.
The images and installations, distributed across the expansive MAST space, seemed to blend seamlessly with the surroundings, suggesting a continuity between the world of art and industrial production.
Foto/Industria 2019 offered a multifaceted and complex panorama on the role of industry in the contemporary world. The works of the selected artists captured the tensions between technological progress and sustainability, between human labor and automation, between natural environments and industrial infrastructures.
The Biennale not only celebrated the link between photography and industry, but also raised profound questions about the future of our society, turning the event into an occasion for critical reflection.
Comments / Messages / Ideas
Location
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MAST, Via Speranza, Bologna, BO, Italia
