HANGING - SOSPESI

The project revolves around a reflection on the traces left behind by communities and the inheritance of gestures and traditions that bind us to the past. In particular, the artist addresses the theme of the preservation of cultural evidence for which historical memory and tradition are never static, but always intertwine with the present, renewing themselves in a dynamic and regenerative process. The four carpets testify to the artistic practice of recovering in a regenerative sense the traditional workmanship of textiles, as well as to the concept of the subjective-collective so well expressed by Maria Lai when she refers to the work of art as an act performed in solitude, bearing witness to centuries of collective experience.

‘What Remains of Us, What Remains of Me’ is not just an exhibition of artefacts, but a visual and conceptual experience that asks the viewer to reflect on the permanence and evolution of traditions.

The Concept of Subjectivity and Collectivity is thus expressed through the four carpets, which become the symbol of a process of ‘regenerative recovery’ of textile traditions. Three of them, entitled ‘What will remain of us’, are made of wool through the typical pibiones process, performed by the expert weavers of Mogoro of the Cooperativa Su Trobasciu, a small town in Sardinia that preserves this ancient tradition. The fourth carpet, ‘What will remain of me’, is made of brocade, a more complex textile technique that harks back to an even older tradition, but one that is equally representative of the Sardinian craft world. The Cooperativa Tessile Su Trobasciu, founded in 1978 in Mogoro, Sardinia, represents a unique model of women's textile craftsmanship, interweaving tradition and innovation in a path to enhance the local cultural heritage.

These carpets are not merely decorative objects, but carry with them stories of community and artistic practices that mingle with the artist's lived experience, translating into a visual language that creates a dialogue between past and present, collective memory and individual experience.

Within a space that preserves the past, such as the Luigi Cocco Collection, his carpet installation and reflection on memory urge us to reconsider our relationship with cultural heritage, asking ourselves, with a question that is never trivial, ‘What remains of us?’

The exhibition is part of the project ‘HANGING - SOSPESI: Tappeti e arazzi nel pensiero e nelle mani di artigiani, artisti e designer’ (Hanging - SUSPENDED: Carpets and tapestries in the thoughts and hands of craftsmen, artists and designers), which envisages a cycle of personal exhibitions of designers and artists in collaboration with artisans/artists and territorial textile cooperatives: Nietta Condemi De Felice, Annalisa Cocco, Paulina Herrera Letelier will inhabit the spaces of the Sardinian Ethnographic Museum ‘Luigi Cocco Collection’ with their textile projects until September 2025.

The exhibition layouts are by Arch. Giovanni Filindeu with Smart Allestimenti. For the inauguration, a convivial moment will be organised by chef Marina Ravarotto.

Thus Isre President Stefano Lavra, General Director Marcello Mele and Polo Museale Director Efisio Carbone:

Stefano Lavra, President of Isre: ‘This exhibition is a perfect example of how contemporary art can dialogue with tradition, in an interweaving of memory, identity and innovation. With Ruben Montini's work, we reaffirm our commitment to enhancing the Sardinian cultural heritage, relating it to new artistic and critical perspectives. The Regional Ethnographic Museum ‘Luigi Cocco Collection’ thus confirms itself, together with the other museums of the Isre Museum Complex, as a place of reflection and comparison, capable of welcoming new visions and questioning the future of the conservation and transmission of traditions.’

Marcello Mele, Director General of Isre: ‘Isre continues its path of openness towards contemporary art and craftsmanship, aware that the dialogue between past and present is essential for a dynamic vision of our heritage. Ruben Montini's exhibition is a project that invites the public to question the value of memory and the transformation of traditions over time, and is an opportunity to rediscover weaving as an artistic and social language, capable of telling collective and individual stories.’

Efisio Carbone, Director of the Polo Museale Isre: ‘With “What remains of us, what will remain of me”, the Regional Ethnographic Museum becomes a space for research and experimentation, hosting a project that does not merely exhibit works, but proposes an immersive and conceptual experience. Montini's work, the result of a dialogue with the weavers of Mogoro, is a profound reflection on the concept of cultural heritage and the responsibility of conservation.The collaboration between artists and craftsmen is at the heart of this exhibition, demonstrating that heritage is not static, but a living organism in continuous evolution.’