Yearly focus
2023-2025

The Future!

The understanding and depiction of “the future” underwent a paradigm shift in the Middle Ages. Whereas in ancient Greece and Rome the future was seen as an unknown force, something encountered by chance that could strike unexpectedly, in the medieval Chansons de geste it evolved into a moment that encompassed both fate and trial (Old French aventure): Something is about to happen, a challenge awaits, one that must be faced with an unknown adversary.

Does it make sense to talk about the “future” today, when the wounds of the past are still fresh? How can we confront the future as an unknown adversary, when the present already confronts us with its challenges – pandemics, the threat of climate collapse, and the endless cycle of war?
How should we approach this? Perhaps like this: Crisis situations have always been a crucial moment for reflection. It´s no accident that Benedetto Croce, at the start of World War II, remarked that “in history, there is never a decline that doesn´t also generate and prepare new life.”

The “Future!” focus of Villa Vigoni aims to explore the profound changes of our time. We want to understand how, as a European community, we can overcome the challenges ahead. It is clear – as the 58th Venice Biennale put it, half ironically and half seriously – that we will be facing “interesting times”.
The climate crisis is seen as a major challenge. As part of its 2021 strategic plan, Villa Vigoni has sought to address this emergency, and has therefore made the integration of sustainability principles a central concern in all of its activities.