Renowned new media artist Giuliana Cunéaz recently won the First Prize of Public at the Opline Prize International for her outstanding contributions to digital art. Starting June 15, 2025, at 3:30 PM, she will open her significant exhibition, Wunderkammer Digitale, at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale della Lomellina in Vigevano, housed within the magnificent Castello Sforzesco. This exhibition will run until December 15, 2025, featuring her captivating installation Matter Waves Unseen.
Cunéaz’s artwork, Matter Waves Unseen, can be interpreted as a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional “cabinets of curiosities” known as wunderkammer. In her installation, the artist reimagines these collections of antiquities and unique objects by incorporating approximately 30 painted clay sculptures housed in a collector’s cabinet. A plasma screen within the drawers displays 3D animation showing the flow of earth waves that intermittently reveal objects of varying forms, only to have them swallowed by a magnetic process of appearance and disappearance. This dynamic interaction reveals the deep and mysterious nature of matter.
Cunéaz’s fascination with the organic forms of the extremely small, as revealed by scientific instruments like the electron microscope, allows her to reconstruct an invisible world, intertwining physical and virtual elements. Notably, the artist features an empty wasp nest, serendipitously discovered and painted, within her work, enhancing this theme of the unseen.
The fusion of Matter Waves Unseen with the invaluable artifacts of the Museo Archeologico Nazionale della Lomellina, particularly the Strada Collection, which includes glass, metal, and ceramic objects mostly from the Roman era, cultivates a fruitful relationship. This connection highlights the dialogue between contemporary digital expressions and the rich historical narratives of the archaeological heritage.
As noted by Pietro Mezzabotta in the accompanying text for Cunéaz’s work, “The necessity of creating synergies between different elements has prompted the artist to develop a complex language, blending manual craftsmanship with algorithmic thinking to create continuity between the realms of physical investigation and the virtual. The digital construction of forms, as showcased in the video, served as the starting point for the manual elaboration of the sculptures housed in the cabinet’s fourteen drawers. In this way, the artist reaffirms the role of drawing as an abstract and inventive tool, capable of expressing its original value in representing reality and the world, even when imaginary.”
The Wunderkammer Digitale project by Giuliana Cunéaz at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale della Lomellina materializes from a collaboration between the Regional Directorate of National Museums of Lombardy and the Museo nazionale dell’Arte Digitale. This initiative enhances the offerings of regional museums and cultural spaces with innovative, engaging artworks that resonate with the cultural heritage. By blending contemporary digital narratives with historical context, such exhibitions play a crucial role in cultivating public interest and appreciation for digital art and archaeological heritage.
Join us for the inauguration on June 15, 2025, to experience Cunéaz’s remarkable exploration of the unseen and the connection between our digital and physical worlds.
Photo credits: The photographs are the property of the museum.
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