Artist and curator Maria Rebecca Ballestra (Ventimiglia, 1974) has passed away at the age of 46, her work engaged in complex research, actively dealing with social and environmental issues. Her death was announced by her loved ones on the artist’s Facebook profile on Sunday, August 9th.

Ballestra was not only an artist but also a proactive figure in the panorama of contemporary art, she established important projects and international networks. She referred to herself as a nomad; she travelled extensively – the United States, Brazil, China, Taiwan, Africa – acquiring new ways of seeing and being in the world, which were consequently translated into site specific installations, videos and performances. One of her most important projects was Journey into Fragility (2012-14), a journey that was divided into 12 stages, it lasted two years, its focus was on the perception of the future in relation to climate change and the multiple human interventions in the natural environment and the sense of insecurity and anxiety that characterises this new millennium. After travelling through four continents, the project concluded with an installation in Venice during the 56° Venice Biennale, and with several exhibitions, lectures and workshops in Europe and USA.

In 2014 she founded with artist Rachela Abbate the collaborative platform Social Soups which placed food at the centre of artistic, political and social discourse. The 2015 Festival for the Earth was held with the University of Ca ‘Foscari, which brought together art, culture and ecology in the study and analysis of sustainable models.

She was awarded several international prizes in Europe, Asia and USA and she held lectures and participated at symposiums at Boston University (USA), Maraya Art Center (UAE); University of Hull (UK), Xiamen University (China), PROG Zentrum (Switzerland), University of Genoa (Italy), Taipei Artist Village (Taiwan).

In the words of gallerist Alberta Pane, ‘Aside from being an extraordinary and intelligent person, always full of energy, she was also a visionary artist of the highest calibre’ 

Watch Maria Rebecca Ballestra’s video ‘Il Respiro della Natura’ here