Pau Brasil – the green myth of Margherita Leoni
Pau Brasil is a native endangered plant, which grows in Brasil. This tree of the virgin forest, that has given the name to the Federal Brasilian Republic, is also the title chosen by the artist Margherita Leoni for the exhibition, the MUSE in Trento dedicates to her from 22nd January to 10th April 2016. The Science Museum opens its space/makes its space available to hold a reflection on nature’s perfection and fragility: this theme is depicted in over 70 works, realized through watercolour painting, charcoal technique and digital drawing. An account on the botanical biodiversity in Brasil, an exhortation to develop a relationship of balance, knowledge and respect with natural environment.
The artistic research carried out by Margherita Leoni moves from an accurate study on botanical Brasilian biodiversity, exploring South American Indian myths and arrives to the account of the Cerrado fire tragedy, in order to reflect on the relationship between man and nature and on the need to rebuild a relationship of knowledge and respect with natural environment.
Margherita Leoni (born in Bergamo, in 1974) has graduated at the School of Fine Arts in Brera. In the same year she lived for six months in the reserve Biologica de Quebrangulo (Biological Reserve in Quebrangulo), where she began to depict on paper the various species living in the wild Brasilian forest. Hence his work comes alive -a work dedicated to wild forests, paying specific attention to Brasilian biomes: the rainforest in Amazzonia, the moist tropical forest and the cerrado. In 1999 she moved to Brasil. From 2000 to 2001 she studied Botanical Morphology and Systematic Botany at University San Paolo. She struck up a solid friendship with the botanist specialized in the study and safeguard of wild plants in Brasil, who has been collecting 3500 plant species mainly of wild plants in Jardim botanico Plantarum (Botanical garden) in Nuova Odessa since 1990.
She has been exhibiting in public spaces and international art galleries since 2000.
organization: Muse
