Cosimo Veneziano was born in Moncalieri (TO) in 1983 and lives and works in Turin. Characterised by extensive research and workshop activities, his practice focuses on developing sculpture and drawing in close correlation with the places that inspired them.
L'acqua del duemila (Water 2000) is a research project I am currently conducting on the health of rivers, beginning with those in Italy. In recent years, these rivers have revealed how extreme weather events are putting entire river basins under strain, becoming mirrors of a widespread environmental crisis.
A river is an ecological system composed of water, a riverbed, and a riverbank. If any one of these three elements fails, the whole system collapses. The roots of today's river distress date back to the early 19th century, with the intensification of water usage aimed at prosperity and so-called “growth,” particularly in agriculture, most notably for large-scale wheat production.
At the origin of the processes that led to the Anthropocene lies a close alliance between agricultural-industrial capitalism and state intervention: the human ability to interfere with the mechanisms that govern the functioning of the planet as a whole. This topic has become increasingly urgent in both scientific and artistic discourse over the past two decades.
To further my research, I was invited by MMSU in Rijeka to undertake a residency focused on one of the main ports of the Adriatic Sea. The invitation involved working with the local port community of Rijeka to produce a series of drawings and photographs that will serve as the basis for sculptures reflecting on these changes. Rijeka is one of the Adriatic’s most important ports, with the largest storage capacity for wheat from Ukraine. Currently, around 1.5 million tons of wheat are exported from Kyiv each month, primarily through the Baltic corridors.
These shifts are profoundly transforming the region, bringing about major upheavals that are reshaping the landscape, as well as the flora and fauna of the Adriatic Sea.
MMSU in Rijeka founded in 1948, in its long tradition offers a committed support to innovative ways of approaching, producing and presenting art. From its very beginning the Museum has been building reputation of one of the most prominent visual art institutions in Croatia, entrusted with presentation of Croatian artists at prestigious international art events such as: Venice Biennial 1962, 1997, 2007, 2010, Sao Paolo Biennial 1967, 2004 etc.
The Museum rounds its programming around visual art education, parallel to different modes of exhibition concepts that address new discursive possibilities and transform it into a place of inspiration, idea exchange and active participation. Under the motto openness, creativity & engagement, together with artistic, cultural and community organizations, Museum furthers visual arts research, collaboration and exchange within the region and internationally, while aspiring to reach increasingly diverse audiences and to work in a close relationship with the community.
Museum’s collection offers a diverse range of artistic visions with over 8,000 artworks dated from the end of the 19th century to the present day. From 2017 Museum is located at new address, Krešimirova 26c, in ex-industrial complex Rikard Benčić. Since then, some important exhibitions were organized at MMSU in the framework of the pre-program and program of Rijeka 2020 - European Capital of Culture, i.e. Tomislav Gotovac: Crisis Anticipator - Don't Ask Where We're Going (2017), Vlado Martek: Exhibition with Many Titles and Goran Petercol: Don't Worry About Poetics, They Will Arrive on Their Own in 2019 and David Maljković: With the Collection in 2020..
Nctm e l’arte is an independent project aimed at engaging with contemporary art.
It involves creating a collection, supporting artists, collaborating with public institutions and cultural organizations, and developing public projects with a local focus.