Pietro Ruffo: The Architect of Memory
Pietro Ruffo (Rome, 1978) is an artist whose research stands at the intersection of art, cartography, and historical inquiry. Following his training in architecture, he developed a multidisciplinary practice ranging from drawing to large-scale installations, always centering on the profound concepts of freedom and geopolitical identity.
His style is defined by a distinctive technique: stratification. Ruffo often works on large paper surfaces that are hand-cut, layered, and secured with pins, creating a light yet deeply meaningful three-dimensionality. His maps are not mere geographical representations, but palimpsests where scientific data, philosophical diagrams, and naturalistic imagery intertwine. Each work invites the viewer into an exercise of active vision: from a distance, it appears as an organic and structured landscape; up close, it reveals a microcosm of meticulous details that recount human migrations, the evolution of ideas, and the scars of history.
Through an almost analytical approach, Ruffo transforms archival documents into a universal aesthetic experience, capable of engaging with the challenges of the present and visions of the future.
Exhibition history (selection)
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2024 – L’immagine del mondo, Musei Reali, Turin.
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2023 – Antropocene, National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci, Milan.
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2021 – The Last Supper - Interactive Experience, Italian Pavilion, Expo 2020, Dubai.
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2020 – Tutti. Umanità in cammino, Vatican Apostolic Library, Vatican City.
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2019 – Archivio dei Paesaggi Sperimentali, MACRO - Museum of Contemporary Art, Rome.
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2018 – Constellations, Galerie Itinerrance, Paris.
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2017 – The Garden of Earthly Delights, Fondazione Giuliani, Rome.
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2015 – Breve Storia del Resto del Mondo, Fondazione Puglisi Cosentino, Catania.
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2014 – SPAD SVII, GNAM – National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rome.
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2012 – The Rise of the Liberal State, Blain|Southern, London.
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2010 – Irhal Irhal, Fondazione Pastificio Cerere, Rome.
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2007 – Pietro Ruffo: Sei gradi di separazione, MACRO, Rome.