The group exhibition Earthly Communities examines the complex relationships between Europe and Abya Yala—the pre-colonial name for the Central and South American continent—and examines them through the prism of the South Tyrolean context. Inspired by the book of the same name by Cameroonian philosopher Achille Mbembe (2022), the exhibition addresses ecological, economic, and geopolitical issues. The metaphor of "digging into the earth" serves as a leitmotif to illuminate the resilience of indigenous agricultural knowledge—both in Abya Yala and in South Tyrol. Interventions through invasive farming, archaeology, and extractivism are critically examined artistically, while simultaneously exploring paths for a sustainable use of Alpine soil.

A central component of the exhibition is the Resistenze Viventi residency program, which brings artists to Merano to create new works and performances. The Mexican-Chilean artist Amanda Piña, the Colombian-Venezuelan artist Alexandra Gelis, and the Italian artist Luigi Coppola explore the historic Tyrolean Peasants' War of 1525—a disobedience against domination and a struggle for social justice. In doing so, they broaden their perspective on non-human life forms and explore their role in ecological networks. Plant and mineral worlds are understood as expressions of living resistance and placed in relation to current global challenges. Their artistic work thus focuses on the connection between humans, Alpine history and agriculture, as well as global geopolitics. The results of the residencies will be presented from June to October 2025 at various locations in Merano—in the Kunsthaus, in public squares, in forests, and at other extraordinary venues.

Sallisa Rosa Topography of Memory, 2023 © Audemars Piguet Art Commission

Artists: AMAZON, Minia Biabiany, Marilyn Boror Bor, Carolina Caycedo, Ismael Condoii, Luigi Coppola, Etienne de France, Alexandra Gelis, Mazenett Quiroga, Laura Huertas Millán, Eliana Otta, Amanda Piña, Naomi Rincón-Gallardo, Sallisa Rosa, Samuel Sarmiento
June 22 to October 12, 2025
www.kunstmeranoarte.org

Earthly Communities is part of the trilogy The Invention of Europe (2024–2027), curated by Lucrezia Cippitelli and Simone Frangi. The trilogy focuses on the European self-narrative, questioning its monolithic and essentialist perspective and reflecting on it from the perspective of other continents – here, in the second chapter of the trilogy, from Abya Yala's perspective. South Tyrol, a multilingual border region between Italy and Austria, is the focus. As a region with a complex history and permeated by political and economic power interests, it becomes a starting point for reflections on global and local interdependencies.
The project is supported by numerous collaborations, including with actors from the agricultural sector and partner institutions of the “Euregio – Museum Year – 2025”
https://2025.euregio.info