Alex Cerveny

Just another fruit tree

Installation View – HOT SPOT – Caring For a Burning World #038 (2022)La Galleria Nazionale

Alex Cerveny, Rio Negro e Solimões

In his painting Rio Negro e SolimõesAlex Cerveny transforms the human silhouette into a fruit tree, surrounded by birds.

Rio Negro e Solimões – HOT SPOT – Caring For a Burning World #028 (2019) by Alex CervenyLa Galleria Nazionale

What's the first thing you think of when I say Hot Spot?

I was amused by the term when I heard it for the first time. As a Brazilian, "Hot Spot" evoked the tropical heat of the country that I live in.

Installation View – HOT SPOT – Caring For a Burning World #039 (2022)La Galleria Nazionale

What is the "hottest" contemporary theme nowadays?

The preservation of our planet, addressing the negative impact of human actions on the environment.

Installation View – HOT SPOT – Caring For a Burning World #033 (2022)La Galleria Nazionale

How artistic practice can actively influence these issues?

While artistic practice can raise awareness and inspire action towards issues such as climate change, I think it is important to recognize its limitations and not have overly high expectations for its ability to fundamentally change the world.

Primate – HOT SPOT – Caring For a Burning World #002 (2009) by Daphne WrightLa Galleria Nazionale

How was it to confront with other artists in Hot Spot?

I enjoyed seeing the range of different opinions and the nuanced discourses by each artist on the same theme.

Installation View – HOT SPOT – Caring For a Burning World #034 (2022)La Galleria Nazionale

What do you think is the main visitors' feeling in Hot Spot?

I appreciated the open distances between the artworks when I saw the exhibition, as if it was creating a space to think. The exhibition succeeds in demonstrating the recognition of science and its warnings, as well as in establishing a dialogue between science and art.

Installation View – HOT SPOT – Caring For a Burning World #127 (2022)La Galleria Nazionale

Choose a claim for an aesthetic activism manifesto

The question of how we can preserve nature and learn the most prudent ways to live in respect and harmony with it.

Credits: Story

Interview by Giulia Lotti. Photo by Adriano Mura.

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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27 international artists share their views on climate changes in the exhibition Hot Spot, hosted by the National Gallery in Rome
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