How Nature works

07.02.2022

The exhibition How nature works by Krištof Kintera, curated by Emanuele Montibeller, is a site-specific exhibition resulting from the collaboration with Arte Sella and is part of the University of Padua’s 800th anniversary celebrations.

The 19th century greenhouses of the world's oldest university botanical garden inspired Krištof Kintera, a multifaceted Czech artist, active for three decades on the international scene, in the creation of different environments in which the waste materials of the Age of Information (motherboards, cables, bulbs etc.) are transformed into fascinating creations, which challenge the traditional opposition between Nature and Technology through the definition of a 'post-natural' reality. The 'new' plants of Kintera closely recall the 'old' plants of the Garden, making up a rich scenario where science and technology seem to fit perfectly, disclosing the surprising similarities between artificial and biological systems.

The exhibition, which is included in the admission ticket, is open until March 20, 2022, during the usual opening hours of the Garden.

KRIŠTOF KINTERA (1973) is a Czech mixed media artist whose internationally acclaimed work derives from a fusion of fine arts, performance, and stage design. An inimitable sense – often caustic – of observation, interaction and social critique permeates his work, in which everyday objects are cleverly transformed. He is the founder of Jednotka, an experimental theatre ensemble, and the concept author of the annual festival 4+4 dny v pohybu. Over the last three decades, he has exhibited his works all around the world, especially in Europe and the United States.