Nestled in the Pistoia Apennine Mountains, the Oasy Contemporary Art and Architecture centre has newly reopened, offering visitors an immersive experience where the interconnected relationship between art and nature is explored. Until November 1, 2026, an installation and painting exhibition by Belgian artist Arne Quinze enriches the woodland route bringing creativity and landscape into conversation.
An artist dedicated to restoring humanity’s bond with nature, Arne Quinze’s land art exhibition titled ‘Ceramorphia’ and solo exhibition ‘I’m a Gardener’ are being displayed by the OCA. Based in Belgium, Quinze is best known for his large-scale plant-like installations that are made using recycled materials. Having dropped out of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, Quinze dedicated himself to graffiti art, which laid the foundation for his large-scale exploration of public space.
Quinze’s ‘Ceramorphia’, previously displayed at the 2024 Venice Biennale, features large white ceramic forms that mimic the natural world, and are evocative of plant cells and processes. The outdoor setting of this art is central to the work’s message, which reflects humanity’s growing distance from the natural world.
An indoor exhibition space hosts ‘I’m a Gardener,’ a selection of colourful painted canvases that aim to convey the energy, collision and metamorphosis of nature. The abstract splatters of paint depict harmonious floral displays which restore balance to the human-made space.
The permanent outdoors exhibition route is rich with works from leading contemporary artists such as Alejandro Aravena, Mariangela Gualtieri, Kengo Kuma and Quayola. Developed by Emanuele Montibeller, the route aims to answer the question ‘How will we inhabit the world?’.
The circular path starts with Cameroonian artist Pascale Marthine Tayou’s plastic bag structure which denounces overproduction and the mass wastage produced by humanity. Further into the walk, Kengo Kuma urges reflection on the essential relationship between humans and nature through his steel fibre structures that are wrapped around the trees.
A highlight of the nature-art walk is Michele De Lucchi’s ‘Nella Terra Il Cielo’ (Sky on Earth). The Italian artist conceived his large wooden tent around a poem by Mariangela Gualtieri which explores the renewal of humanity’s alliance with the earth. De Lucchi’s structure acts as a contemplative shelter where architecture, poetry and nature converge.
Alejandro Aravena’s brutalist-esque concrete rectangle juts out of the hills, marking the end of the art walk. Titled ‘Self-Regulation,’ this final installation forces visitors to face up to their own relationship with nature.
The Oasy centre displays art and architecture through an outdoor experience which invites visitors into an encounter between contemporary art and the natural world. Open until November 1, 2026, OCA welcomes visitors from Thursday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm, with August visits available only on Wednesdays during the same hours. Admission to the exhibition is free, while the guided route costs €20 and must be booked in advance. (Aniela Cabut)
