Come un limone lunare

This volume, edited by Paola Nicolin, accompanies the eponymous exhibition Come un limone lunare by the Italian New York–based artist Francesco Simeti (b. 1968, Palermo), which opened the art program hosted by XNL Piacenza Contemporanea. Simeti, renowned for his site-specific installations, constructs visually captivating landscapes that unfurl layers of underlying meaning. Central to his practice is the appropriation of images sourced from newspapers and magazines that invite contemplation regarding the function of this imagery in our ever-evolving contemporary society. Instead of being entranced by surface allure, he impels the observer to confront the deep-seated challenges concealed beneath—environmental crisis, conflicts, migration, and the intricate interplay between reality and artificiality—pressing the need for a shift in direction.