Feeding the Present, Feeding the Future: how art helps reconnecting with nature and reflecting on the food system

Slow Food and Paratissima present a unique art exhibition at Terra Madre Salone del Gusto

Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2024 (Turin, Italy, from September 26 to 30) aims to restore a healthy balance between humans and nature. Food is a crucial link, connecting us not only to nature but also to culture. Food reconnects us to the earth, soil and sea and is an integral part of our identity, serving as the perfect tool to reshape the bond between nature and culture. 

Art has been chosen to create an emotional connection with people and positively convey complex content. By addressing the environmental and social issues linked to the unsustainability of the current food system through an evocative language, the exhibition curated by Paratissima aims to create an emotional link with visitors. “This approach helps the public understand complicated problems and offers insights into the Slow Food proposals. Specifically the Art Exhibition will offer a chance to delve into the complex environmental and social challenges tied to our food system”, comments Carolina Modena, Slow Food Biodiversity Office Director. 

“Feeding the Present, Feeding the Future proposes an alternative and purposeful vision of contemporary production models, based on the realization that only through a return to more respectful food practices and a re-evaluation of food as a cultural element will it be possible to build a sustainable future, in which humans can live in harmony with nature, nourishing not only the body, but also the spirit and the community,” comments Laura Tota, Paratissima Art Curator. 

Through a language aimed at creating emotional connections, these issues will be explored without falling into either naive optimism or blanket pessimism. An honest and realistic view of the current situation will be offered, without hiding the challenges we face. While data and statistics provide the factual framework, the immersive experience of an Art Exhibition can offer a space to reflect on the complex and often contradictory realities of our food system.

The images tell stories of small local realities and communities that, in stark contrast to the dynamics of industrial production, have chosen to adopt practices that are more respectful of natural cycles, promoting biodiversity and reducing environmental impact through zero-mile, organic and non-intensive production and preserving the authenticity of local produce. These experiences show that it is possible, and necessary, to imagine a food production model in which quality and sustainability prevail over quantitative logic, restoring respect for territories and the people who inhabit them.

Next to the Art Exhibition and perfectly integrated in its core message, Slow Food will physically present its proposal to reshape the food system, adopting agroecological practices: the Slow Food Farms. They are set to become the largest global network of farms dedicated to producing good, clean, and fair food rooted in agroecological principles. Aligned with Slow Food’s philosophy that everyone deserves access to nourishing food that supports communities, honors the Earth, and strengthens local economies, these farms embody the future of sustainable agriculture. 

The exhibition will be officially opened on September 26 at 6 pm with the presence of Edward Mukiibi, Slow Food President and Marco Gilli, President of the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation. https://2024.terramadresalonedelgusto.com/en/event/inauguration-of-the-art-exhibition-feeding-the-present-feeding-the-future-by-paratissima/ 

Artists and experts will discuss the relationship between art and biodiversity during the conference Food and nature, interpreted by the artists of Paratissima, on Sunday 29 at 7.30 pm. 

The following artists have been selected to participate in the Feeding the Present, Feeding the Future exhibition, which can be viewed under the big orange roof within Parco Dora. 

• Alexander Pomper is a photographer from Portland, Oregon, in the United States. His documentary work focuses on ancestral foodways, highlighting the perseverance of farmers and producers of at-risk ingredients.
• Ana Núñez Rodríguez is a research-based photographer working between Spain and Colombia. Her work explores the politics of identity, using images to bridge cultural experiences and uncover forgotten colonial legacies. 
• Daniela Spagnoli, from Italy, initially reinterpreted the art of the mosaic in a postmodern key before experimenting with the use of different materials, ideally waste, working on the manipulation of objects and assemblage. Since 2011 she has been mixing traditional techniques with digital art and now AI. 
• Elisabetta Cravero was born in 1977 in Guarene, Italy, and began working in photography in 2018 after taking a course. She has a particular interest in reportage, documenting the return to abandoned places, itinerant grazing, the cultivation of highlands, mountain life and family relationships. Underlying all her work is the relationship between humans and nature, a theme influenced by her own life choices. 
• Francesca Procopio is a visual designer specializing in photography and graphic art. Her artistic research is characterized by a strongly introspective approach that explores the human condition, often focusing on the relationship with food through still life, self-portraits and installations.
• Francesco Rucci (Contrasto) focuses his work on the concept of the individual and the community. His images symbolize a collective identity, serving as a starting point to approach the different characteristics that make up a group of people. He is currently delving deeply into the changes in our surroundings, addressing issues ranging from the new challenges that will shape our future to those concerning the environment and the adaptation of the human condition.
• Gabriele Fanelli has a degree in philosophy. Through the LUZ agency in Milan he attended the Luz Academy, an annual course in documentary photography. His photos have been published by Vogue.it, L’Espresso, Sportweek, Modern Farmer (USA), Rivista undici, Il fotografo and others. One of his pictures is in Familiar Stranger (PhMuseum).
• Kavita Malstead is an artist who works at the intersection between food and sustainability. With training in creative writing and visual arts, she tells engaging stories that give a face and a location to data. She is a Community Development Manager at The Lexicon, creatively tackling the challenges within the food system and promoting deeper connections.
• Laura Feliu is a creative photographer born and based in Barcelona. Her work explores ordinary and daily objects through vibrant still lifes using analogue photography. Her practice plays with color, shape and memory to talk about modern pop culture and traditions.
• Mario Forcherio trained as an architect but has long been a keen photographer of portraits, travel and architecture and is passionate about new technologies. Freelance since 2009, since 2002 he has been studying and specializing in the generation of visual content through AI, experimenting with various genres in particular through the use of Midjourney. 
• Rosa Graffe is a multidisciplinary artist, combining her background in anthropology with illustration. Using her investigative and curious mind, she offers a unique and insightful perspective, working with a variety of methods, including digital illustration, pencil and Risography.
• Shiva Salehpour has in recent years has focused her artistic work on the study and examination of the traumas that affect and change human beings, a recurring theme in her paintings and installations, analyzed each time from a different perspective. She has produced a series of works that explore humanity’s reaction to environmental issues affecting the future of planet Earth, at times manifesting as eco-anxiety and eco-paralysis.
• Thomas Nondh Jansen, born in 1985 in Bangkok, creates colorful still life and food photography. He was adopted from Thailand and grew up in the Netherlands, making “home” an important theme in his work. With a lot of humor, he transforms everyday objects into something new, showing us the (often hidden) beauty of daily life.

Guest project

Also participating in Feeding the Present, Feeding the Future with a guest project is Gregg Segal. His photography has been recognized by American Photography, Communication Arts, PDN, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the New York Press Club, the Society of Publication Designers, Lens Culture and the Magnum Photography Awards. Segal’s portraiture and photo essays have been featured in Time, GEO, Smithsonian, The Independent, Le Monde, Fortune, National Geographic Adventure and Wired, among others. His first monograph, Daily Bread, was published by Powerhouse Books in 2019 and a German edition followed in 2020. A Daily Bread exhibition, curated by Photoville, was at the Seaport in New York until August 2024. Segal’s companion project, 7 Days of Garbage, was published in The Evidence Project: A Book to Protect the Planet.

The partnership between Slow Food and Paratissima has been funded by Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation. Slow Food and the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation share a commitment to building the future of a fairer, more cohesive society, working together for inclusion, sustainable development cooperation and global citizenship.