The Chemistry of Life

Curated by Johanna Hohage

08.11.2024 – 24.11.2024

„The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.“
— Robert Swan, Polarforscher

In his most recent works, Fabio Romano addresses the urgent issues of climate change, the contemporary political context and the existential questions that preoccupy our society in a time of global uncertainty. Since 2021, Romano has been engaged in a creative process that interweaves the history of human civilisation with the latest scientific and geographical findings. His works serve as a reflection of the contemporary challenges we face, prompting the question: How might we best engineer the future of our planet?

Romano employs a surgical approach to his painting, examining the most vulnerable parts of the human body. This method allows him to illuminate the parts of our world that are in urgent need of change. Through the interplay of randomness and the deep interconnectedness of his motifs, he activates a lively dialogue between the elements of his compositions. This dialogue reveals the deeply interwoven and complex structures of our world, which require a conscious reorientation and profound change in human behaviour for them to be untangled.

A recurrent theme in Romano‘s work is the analysis of power structures and migration dynamics. The painting‘s subject matter is the relationship between diversity and economic success in modern cities. These themes were manifested in a large-format work entitled ‚The Encounter in Pnýx‘, which Romano commenced in 2022. The work, which stems from joint research with geography student Nikolas Schilling, addresses the European vision ‚United in diversity‘ and considers the impact of cultural and linguistic diversity on the peace and prosperity of the continent. Additionally, Niko Georgopoulos‘ research into the structure of forest ecosystems and the impact of climate change on carbon storage is reflected in Romano‘s paintings. He reveals the invisible dimensions that remain hidden to the naked human eye, similar to the LiDAR technology used by the researcher. The artist creates a visual manifestation of these socio-political connections by embedding symbols of science, such as DNA fragments or floating uranium, in the public space of the European Parliament.

Romano‘s perspective encompasses not only the physical dimensions of space but also its ecological implications. In his examination of the interconnection between the human body and the natural environment, he elucidates the profound sense of estrangement that humans experience in relation to their natural surroundings. His oeuvre addresses the profound schism between humanity and the natural world and elucidates the ramifications of climate change. His abstract installations and sculptures frequently make reference to natural processes and materials that symbolise the fragile balance of our ecosystem. In this way, he prompts the viewer to reflect on the part played by humans in this destruction. From a philosophical standpoint, Romano examines the physical laws that shape our world and matter. His artistic experiments with the principles of gravity, balance and spatial perception provide an additional avenue for questioning the boundaries between art and science. The urgency of intervening and questioning our reality is a recurring theme in his works.

text: Johanna Hohage