Gianni Berengo Gardin | Worlds to Inhabit

Mart presents a major exhibition dedicated to Gianni Berengo Gardin (1930–2025), one of the leading figures in Italian photography, focusing on a key aspect of his work: his connection to architecture.

The project centres on Berengo Gardin’s “urban planner’s” eye—how he observes the world, capturing the geometric order of spaces, the sculptural volumes of landscapes, and the interplay of solids and voids that define everyday life, revealing the connection between outside and inside worlds. On one hand, there are the structures and architecture that shape the landscape; on the other, the “human factor”, the people who live in, move through, and experience these places. These worlds to inhabit are precise, poetic and dreamlike urban visions—built spaces that both shelter and come alive through human presence.

Featuring 120 photographs from Berengo Gardin’s archive, the exhibition explores his unique way of composing images, as well as his in-depth documentation of construction sites for projects by well-known architects he worked with over the years. The exhibition also includes rare archival documents and firsthand accounts from the architects who collaborated closely with Gardin.