Geneva, UN-Palais des Nations
December 4 – 25, 2023
Exhibition views: © Galardi Media Network. Courtesy UNOG, Geneva
Part of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in
An exhibition presented by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
and by the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations in Geneva in collaboration with Associazione Genesi
Under the High Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic
Curated by Ilaria Bernardi
On November 10, 1948, in the wake of the Second World War, the General Assembly of the United Nations approved and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, one of the most significant, and still relevant, documents in the recent history of the world.
Seventy-five years later, from December 4 to 15, 2023, Italy presents, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, a major exhibition as part of the campaign promoted by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
For the purpose of casting light on how Italian art, from the post-Second World War period to the present time, has underlined urgent social themes and ones closely related to those expressed in the Declaration, sixteen artists, Italian by birth or by naturalization, were chosen. These include three senior artists who were acclaimed in the 1950s and 1960s, after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, and thirteen who have emerged in these past thirty years, after the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, marking the start of a renewed commitment to reinforce and develop all the legal tools available for the protection of human rights implemented since 1948 on the grounds of the Universal Declaration.
The works of the 16 artists are on display in the Gallery opposite the Human Rights Room at the United Nations. The artists are given a space in which to show one or two of their works, accompanied by a descriptive text ideally linking them to one of the main themes of the Universal Declaration. The exhibition thus outlines a narrative by successive “chapters” (the spaces of the individual artists) which, when combined, offer a picture of the key articles in the Universal Declaration.
Exhibited artists: Stefano Arienti, Rossella Biscotti, Monica Bonvicini, Danilo Correale, Binta Diaw, Irene Dioniso, Victor Fotso Nyie, Silvia Giambrone, Emilio Isgrò, Mimmo Jodice, Elena Mazzi, Francis Offman, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Rä di Martino, Silvia Rosi, Marinella Senatore.