Il senso della neve: Popoli, arte antica e sguardi contemporanei

The exhibition “Il senso della neve”, curated by Sara Rizzo and Alessandro Oldani, explores snow as a natural, cultural and symbolic phenomenon through more than 150 works and objects spanning ethnography, science and visual arts. Developed as part of the Cultural Olympiad linked to the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the project examines how snow has shaped cultural imagination, environmental awareness and artistic representation.

The exhibition opens with the site-specific installation “The Moment the Snow Melts” by Chiharu Shiota, where suspended threads and sheets of paper evoke a metaphorical snowfall reflecting on memory and human relationships.

The first section addresses scientific observation and environmental change, referencing the studies of Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley and Ukichiro Nakaya. Works by Shimabuku, Francesco Clerici, Walter Niedermayr, Philipp Messner and Zhang Huan reflect on mountain landscapes, climate change and the environmental transformations associated with the Anthropocene.

A second section examines the cultural and spiritual meanings of snow across Arctic and sub-Arctic communities, including Inuit, Sami, Chukchi, Selk’nam and Yaghan cultures.

The final section investigates the representation of snow and ice in art from early modern painting to contemporary practice, with works by Gysbrecht Leytens, Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi, Kunisada, Angelo Morbelli, Emilio Longoni, Antonio Ligabue, Alighiero Boetti, Judy Chicago, Pia Arke and Summer Mei Ling Lee.