Paola Pivi. Art of universe

As part of Art Research World Exhibition – ARWE, the project developed by the Accademia Albertina and dedicated to the internationalization of institutions within Higher Artistic and Musical Education (AFAM), the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo presents _Art of universe_, a solo exhibition by Paola Pivi (Milan, Italy, 1971). The exhibition further strengthens the longstanding collaboration between the artist and the Foundation, which began in 1998 with her participation in _Guarene Arte ’98_ and has continued over the years through numerous exhibition projects. The works gathered here span Pivi’s entire career, ranging from pieces created in the early 2000s to very recent productions. The title of the exhibition project, _Art of universe_, connects the show to a workshop led by the artist for students of the Accademia Albertina, in the context of her role as ARWE International Ambassador 2026. During the workshop, Pivi invited students to share ideas for highly ambitious or large-scale artworks, offering her expertise in the realization of complex and monumental projects. Through sophisticated technical solutions, her art succeeds in disrupting our habitual systems of perception, generating a sense of wonder that allows us to reconsider familiar realities in renewed and deeper ways. Taken as a whole, the exhibition becomes an invitation to become aware of the interconnections between the elements of the world, through a dialogue between distinctly human-made objects and forms that evoke the animal realm, as in the series _Time Machine_ (2016–2026), composed of bicycle wheels surrounded by bird feathers. Each wheel is given an evocative title conceived by Karma Culture Brothers. The bronze sculpture _Live again_ (2026), meanwhile, is composed of hyperrealistic lemon trees gathered around a central point to form the shape of a star. In her practice, the artist sometimes also reverses the scale of objects, as in the miniature version of Zanotta Design’s iconic beanbag chair titled _Untitled (little bag-armchair)_ (2000), presented soaked in water and perfume. At other times, Pivi combines figures and materials in unexpected ways, as in _Have you seen me before?_ (2008), a pale yellow feather-covered polar bear inspired by her experience living in Alaska.