AES+F in As Ice / Come Ghiaccio at Castel Belasi – Contemporary Art Center for Ecological Thought
In the heart of the Alps and in line with UNESCO’s International Year for the Conservation of Glaciers, Castel Belasi presents As Ice (May 10 – October), an exhibition reflecting on fragility, disappearance, protection, and transformation in an era of accelerating ecological and existential uncertainty.
Curated by Stefano Cagol, the exhibition brings together fourteen international artists of different generations and practices. Among the highlights is AES+F, the acclaimed collective based in Berlin and New York, whose groundbreaking video Last Riot (2007, upgraded to 4K) is presented as a large-scale projection at the core of the show. In this dystopian vision of a hyperreal future, where the last ice becomes the backdrop for eternal youth, war, and simulation, AES+F’s work resonates powerfully with the themes of the exhibition. Special thanks for the video upgrade to Stefano Cagol.
Set in dialogue with the castle’s 16th-century frescoes of Metamorphoses and the myth of Perseus—symbols of change and resilience—the exhibition also features Gregor Hildebrandt’s sculptural countdown to extinction, Laura Pugno’s frozen snow, and Ivínguak` Stork Høegh’s Arctic paradoxes, among others.
As Ice is part of a trilogy dedicated to the Dolomites and the element of water, following As Rain (2023) and As Islands (2024). The exhibition is realized in collaboration with MUSE Science Museum Trento, fostering dialogue between art and environmental research.
Participating artists: AES+F (RU/DE/US), Almagul Menlibayeva (KAZ), Caroline McManus (US), Eleonora Roaro (IT), Emilio Perez (US), Gregor Hildebrandt (DE), Khaled Ramadan (LB/DK), Indra Moroder Valecha (IT/UK), Ivínguak` Stork Høegh (GL), Laura Pugno (IT), Peter Aerschmann (CH), Philip Samartzis (AU), Pietro Capogrosso (IT), Yitian Yan (CN)