ArtLine

Coloris, by Cameroonian-born and Belgium-based artist Pascale Marthine Tayou, explores cultural identity through the universal language of color. Tayou uses various media to analyze the circulation of objects, ideas, and people globally. The installation in CityLife park features a concrete world map, dotted with colorful metal poles of varying heights, each topped with an egg. This joyful, global village symbolizes a delicate balance crucial to preserve.

Serena Vestrucci gently intervenes in the real world, making subtle modifications that may go unnoticed at first glance. Her ArtLine Milano work focuses on the fountains known as “vedovelle” (widows), referring to the continuous flow of water resembling the inconsolable tears of a widow. Vestrucci’s unique ten new fountain spouts are tailored for CityLife park, each becoming a one-of-a-kind piece, rewarding those who pay attention to details.

Ornaghi & Prestinari, artists since 2009, bring poetry and delicacy to their works, often using everyday objects. Their sculpture, inspired by the Greek myth of Philemon and Baucis, represents the couple’s wish to grow old and die together. Two columns, standing side by side, seem to support each other, symbolizing the dialogue between past, present, and future.
 

German artist Judith Hopf, born in 1969, blends various artistic languages such as sculpture, installation, and performance. For CityLife, she created “Hand and Foot,” featuring a foot anchored to the ground and an open hand mimicking a greeting. Made of bricks from the historic Riva Art Furnace, the work interacts with CityLife’s architecture, engaging the viewer in a dialogue between the artworks and the urban environment.

Science, art, nature, and performance shape Matteo Rubbi’s creations. His work “Cieli di Belloveso” in Piazza Burri features over 100 stone stars, recreating the sky from 600 BC, the mythical founding moment of Milan. The installation reminds us of the environmental message CityLife promotes, encouraging us to reconnect with the stars amidst the challenges of light pollution.

Adrian Paci’s “Rudere” contrasts with the towering verticality of the CityLife skyscrapers. This cement house, missing a roof and wall, features mosaic-decorated facades, inspired by Gothic rose windows. The house is inhabited not by humans but by plants symbolizing eternity, virtue, mercy, and fertility, symbolizing the connection between humans and nature.

Maurizio Nannucci’s iconic neon signs have arrived in CityLife. His phrase “New Times for Other Ideas – New Ideas for Other Times,” visible in blue or red neon depending on the pavilion, engages passersby. Nannucci’s work, using large neon tubes since 1967, bridges the past and future, reflecting on how new ideas interact with history.

Wilfredo Prieto, a Cuban artist, creates evocative metaphors using everyday objects. His piece for CityLife, “Beso,” features two stones placed side by side, touching at a single point. This subtle interaction, symbolizing a kiss, invites viewers to reflect on the relationship between the natural world and urban life, connecting CityLife with more untouched, wild places.