The One-Thousand-Year-Old Olive Tree Project, known as “L’Ulivo Millenario Project,” is a profound artistic undertaking that began during my La Baldi Residency in 2024. The project continues to evolve across various media and artistic practices, stemming from a transformative encounter with a thousand-year-old olive tree located on the farm at Poderi Borselli in Montegiovi, Italy. This ancient tree not only inspired a lasting relationship with its natural habitat but also prompted a deep and meaningful exploration of the temporal passage into the land.
The presentation of “The L’Ulivo Millenario Project” intends to set markers and landmarks through a vast range of visual approaches, such as observational drawings, frottages, monoprints, collages, site-specific installations, and collaborative performances. These approaches create a sense of instability, futuristic exclusion zones, or sci-fi scenarios as a warning for the 21st century and beyond, exposing the threat and danger that humanity poses to itself – an aesthetic visualization that becomes self-encountering.
The project was born out of a sense of wonder and reverence for the thousand-year-old Olivastra tree. This venerable tree became a focal point for artistic creation, embodying geographies, histories, and myths. The encounter with the Olivastra tree evoked a profound sense of Solastalgia—a term capturing the emotional or existential distress caused by environmental change—and a tangible presence through signs, marks, and erasure. This emotional and physical response to the tree’s existence is reflected in the spirit of alchemy that permeates the new works, addressing both environmental concerns and hope for the future.
The Olivastra tree, with its millennia-spanning existence, symbolizes the lifeblood of our natural and cultural heritage. My research during the residency in Italy led to the development of a unique iconography centered around this tree. This iconography portrays the tree as a symbol of life and resilience, especially in times of environmental endangerment and the precariousness of our shared ecosystem. The tree stands as a testament to the endurance and adaptability of nature amidst the Anthropocene era—a time marked by significant human impact on the Earth’s geology and ecosystems.
The project expresses a prayer for rejuvenation and vitality, juxtaposed with markers and signs of severe environmental threats. The works created under “L’Ulivo Millenario” are grounded in a spirit of alchemy, where art becomes a medium to transform awareness and inspire action. The ancient tree and its surrounding landscape serve as a canvas for exploring themes of survival, societal change, and the risk of depletion.
The project invites collaboration with other artists, scientists, and cultural practitioners to further explore the themes of resilience and transformation. By bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise, “L’Ulivo Millenario” seeks to create a rich, multi-faceted dialogue that enriches our understanding of the natural world and our place within it.
“L’Ulivo Millenario” is more than an art project; it is a meditation on the interconnectedness of life and the environment. It challenges us to reflect on our role within the natural world and to consider the legacy we wish to leave behind. As we navigate the uncertainties of the Anthropocene, this project stands as a testament to the enduring power of nature and the importance of preserving it for future generations. Through the lens of art and its transformative agency, “L’Ulivo Millenario” invites us to contemplate the deeper meanings.
Delphic Preview, Delphi, Greece
2021
Festival of the Muses, Harvard
University’s Center for Hellenic
Studies, Washington DC
2020
The Skopelos
Foundation for the Arts Skopelos, Greece
2019
Body and Place
Architecture Residency organized by theCoLAB
Walmer Yard W11 (Peter Salter, London UK
2019
Boby and Place, Historic Residency
by theCoLAB, London UK
2019
Paderborn Graphic Symposium &
Group show, City of Paderborn /.
Kunstverein Paderborn e.V.
2018
The Rensing Center, Art in Nature
Research Residency, Pickens SC
2017
International Visitors Program Research Trip: Dialogue between Art and Nature –
Methods and Strategies of Curating Art in Public Space, invited by International Cultural Relations of NRW KULTURsekretariat, Germany
2015
