IMAGO MUNDI

Imago Mundi is an idea of Art. Imago Mundi is an idea of the World. Art and a World without borders, as interpreted by Luciano Benetton: a democratic, collective and global map in the making, of human cultures.



 A unique format, 10x12 cm, for artists from every continent: at the moment, more than eighteen thousand from one hundred countries, grouped by ethnicity. Established and emerging, young and old, women and men, all side by side on the same starting line. Under the aegis of the Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche, Imago Mundi brings together North and South, East and West; countries historically opposed and divided, invited to dialogue in the name of Art. The result is a kaleidoscope – fiery, creative and imaginative – of techniques, colours, currents and inspirations. A mosaic of stories, passions, dreams, actions and contradictions.

Pleasantly surprised by this unusual collection of miniatures, Luciano Benetton felt compelled to consider how to add value to the artists of these works that had been so generously donated by both famous and emerging artists. He arranged the publication of a catalog entitled Ojo Latino, with all the artworks and biographies of the artists. This sparked the idea of Imago Mundi: that first catalog led Luciano Benetton to recognize the potential of creating an archive of contemporary art at the start of the Third Millennium, including every country of the world, and so much more.

In the Imago Mundi Art Collection, the artworks are grouped according to nationality thus illustrating the intrinsic value of the works, but also the project as a story of the world and a journey through art, not favouring any particular school, trend or fashion, but rather an openness to new horizons and the coexistence of expressive languages. Imago Mundi aims to bring together the diversities of our world in the name of shared artistic experience, creating a catalog of works, inspirations and ideas. It does so with the ambition of passing on to future generations “the widest possible mapping of human cultures at the start of the third millennium.” - as Luciano Benetton says.   

Curators select the artists on the basis of an analysis that they carry out alongside art experts from their countries. The selection includes both established and young, emerging artists. In the photo Bita Fayyazi the curator of the collection "Iran: iranomutomorphosis.net" with Leila Souissi the curator of the collection "Tunisia: Turbulences" at the opening of "Map of the New Art" - Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, Italy

Imago Mundi involves, on a voluntary and non-profit basis, established and emerging artists from many different countries. Actually more than 18000 Artists takes part in the project. Each of them has created a work whose only restriction is its 10x12 cm format, contributing to the creation of a remarkable artistic geography. Talking about artists Luciano Benetton says: "I like to think of the artist as an example of creative humanity, who gives to the world, to each one of us, more than he takes. In this sense, I believe the artists in this collection together transmit beauty, passion and commitment, as well as the ethics of expertise, ability, knowledge and a vision for the future. I hope that visitors to Imago Mundi are encouraged to engage in a sincere dialogue with art and with the world, remembering that meaning, ideas, reason and inspiration are not the monopoly of a few, but thrive on interaction and communication." 

Imago Mundi has brought to its exhibitions a positive image of the World. In the current climate of arrested utopias, attacks on cultural heritage, assaults on imagination and knowledge, Luciano Benetton’s global art project presents exhibitions that offer an art without borders that breaks the silence, transcends differences, pushes civilization towards new horizons. With a quality and quantity of protagonists (both established and emerging), artworks, languages and ideas that make it both original and unique. Imago Mundi promotes artists internationally through participation in events and exhibitions in collaboration with private and public institutions across the World: from Venice (Biennale 2013) to Senegal (Dak'Art Off 2014), from Rome (Museo Carlo Bilotti, 2014/2015) to New Orleans (NOMA, 2014/2015), from Vienna (Belvedere & Winter Palace, 2015) to Turin (Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, 2015) and Venice (Exhibition "Map of the New Art" at  Fondazione Giorgio Cini, November 2015).

Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche was founded in the late 1980s by the Benetton family. Chaired by Luciano Benetton, with the collaboration of scientific internationally active committees of scholars and experts active in an international context, the Foundation conducts research in the vast world of landscape and the study of places, as well as the history and culture of games and cultural heritage. From the start, the Foundation has been organized as a study center that promotes documentation, research and experimentation in the field of landscape and gardens. The initiatives in the field of cultural heritage, conducted both by the Foundation itself and in collaboration with other public and private institutions, take place in several areas: music, literature, theater, cinema and the arts.  http://www.fbsr.it/