ARBOR MUTATA The Memory of Trees

The exhibition brings together two artistic practices that explore the transformation of natural matter and the persistence of its memory. At the heart of this dialogue is the tree: a presence that extends beyond what we see, through its roots, its exchanges with the environment and the traces it retains even as it takes on new forms. Books, painted surfaces and woven threads thus become places where we can recognise the connections between the plant world and our everyday experience.

Emanuela Lena rediscovers in paper and wood the memory of the trees from which they originate. Alongside words, the book preserves the history of the material that makes up its pages. Branching forms, fragments and small reliefs emerge from the surfaces, evoking an intimate, silent woodland. Plaster, whites and earth tones invite close observation, revealing irregularities, shadows and subtle presences. The artistic gesture gives transformed matter a renewed possibility of enduring and makes its origins visible.

Consuelo Mura explores the tree through painting and weaving, following the branching patterns of its canopy and the hidden interweaving of its roots. In the works from the Spiritus Terrae series, light and colour create patterns that move between recognisable landscape and abstraction. Blues, greens and turquoises alternate with shades of pink, violet and gold, conveying the shifting perception of the woodland. Through the hand-weaving of threads, connection becomes a tangible gesture: fragile elements meet and support one another, forming a shared fabric. The use of eco-friendly paint also expresses the artist’s attention to the relationship between the artwork and the environment.

In the dialogue between the two artists, the memory held within the pages meets the breath of painted surfaces. “Arbor Mutata. The Memory of Trees” invites us to pause and consider where things come from, to embrace what remains and to recognise the value of connections: a reflection on care and on the presence of the natural world in the objects we use and the spaces we inhabit.