INSIDEART | ROME MARCH 21 2025
https://insideart.eu/
Pietro Ruffo’s work stands out for its deep reflection on politics, history, and geography through the use of various techniques, including drawing, engraving, sculpture, and installation. Born in 1978 in Rome, Ruffo studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in the capital and has developed a career characterized by the constant exploration of the boundaries between visual art and social and political issues. His work focuses on the representation of power, geopolitical dynamics, and the transformation of borders and national identities.
Ruffo’s works are rich in detail, particularly his maps and drawings, which combine great technical skill with a critical approach to themes such as war, diplomacy, and territorial conflicts. His maps, created with an aesthetic that recalls ancient art and historical geographic charts, explore the fluidity and transience of political and geographical divisions. These representations are often subverted, distorted, and reworked by the artist to evoke a sense of instability and uncertainty—themes that are increasingly relevant in today’s global geopolitics.
(The last wonderful minute – Palazzo Esposizioni, Pietro Ruffo 2024)
One of the most emblematic series of his work is dedicated to “borders,” in which Ruffo questions the traditional concept of political frontiers. His drawings, featuring distorted or overlapping maps, express the conflict between cultural, political, and historical identities, questioning the meaning of these boundaries and their permeability. The use of drawing as the primary language for these reflections is particularly significant: drawing becomes not only an expressive tool but also an instrument of critical investigation, capable of addressing complex topics with a high degree of visual precision.
Ruffo’s work is also characterized by an in-depth exploration of the power of images and their ability to influence and define our perception of the world. Through the creation of maps and geographical charts, the artist investigates how images of borders and lands are constructed and manipulated by politics and history. His works reflect on territorial control, but also on the power of images to narrate and, at times, falsify historical reality.
(Pietro Ruffo, The Image of the World, 2024 – Installation view 60th Venice Biennale. Venice Pavilion – Photo courtesy of Giorgio Benni)
Ruffo has also worked on large-scale installations, such as “Città Invisibili” (Invisible Cities), a project that explores the themes of immigration and globalization, highlighting disparities between different regions of the world. Through his work, Ruffo invites the viewer to engage with the contradictions and challenges of the contemporary world, encouraging reflection on the social and political dynamics that shape our era.
The artist has exhibited in numerous prestigious galleries and institutions in Italy and abroad, participating in significant collective and solo exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale. His works are part of public and private international collections, demonstrating the relevance and significance of his work in the contemporary art scene.
(Anthropocene 89, Rome Pantheon, 2024 – Ink, oil, and paper cutouts on canvas, H 72.5 × 92.5 cm)
A recent exhibition, running until February 2025 at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome, titled “L’ultimo meraviglioso minuto” (The Last Wonderful Minute), represents the most extensive solo show of Pietro Ruffo ever held in a public institution. The project brings together works of various kinds to create a unified narrative, a long journey through space and time that concludes with a tribute to the city of Rome.
For the construction site of Metro Line C at Piazza Venezia, Ruffo created “Costellazioni di Roma” (Constellations of Rome), a project aimed at beautifying the capital’s construction site, transforming it into an open-air gallery.
(The Last Wonderful Minute Sand 1-2024, Oil and Cutouts on Canvas Paper – 28.5 x 22 cm)