Milan recently hosted one of the year’s most emotionally charged and significant art exhibitions: The institutional Italian-Ukrainian art exhibition “Dal Diario Italiano” (From the Italian Diary) held at the prestigious Palazzo Lombardia.
Palazzo Lombardia – Milan
This event, born from a collaboration between the Lombardy Region, the Embassy, and the Consulates General of Ukraine, featured two masters of contemporary art: the Ukrainian Ivan Turetskyy and the Italian Milo Lombardo. In addition to representing an encounter between two artistic cultures, the exhibition aimed to convey a universal message of peace and brotherhood at a time marked by the war in Ukraine.
Milo Lombardo – Ivan Turetskyy
The exhibition, which concluded on 24 September, was a great success, not only because of the high number of visitors but also because of the emotional impact it generated. The work of the two masters, comprising 33 pieces of painting and sculpture, intensely narrated the suffering of the Ukrainian people while at the same time offering a message of hope and resilience. On this occasion, art was a powerful tool for reflecting on the need for dialogue and diplomacy to overcome conflict.
Ivan Turetskyy, born in 1956 in Lviv, is an internationally renowned artist known for his ability to blend traditional Ukrainian art with modern influences. His works in this exhibition took the audience on a moving journey through the history and culture of his homeland, highlighting the tragedy of the war that has plagued Ukraine for far too long. Coming from a family of artists, he has a long career in artistic research and has broken away from the traditional frameworks of Soviet and post-Soviet Ukrainian art.
His works exhibited at Palazzo Lombardia stood out for their visual intensity, with dynamic and plastic forms reminiscent of Baroque sculptures and Byzantine icons. These elements, combined with a strong emotional charge, made his creations powerful symbols of the Ukrainian people’s suffering and their hope for rebirth.
In one of the exhibition’s most poignant pieces, Turetskyy used colour and form to represent the pain of war and his people’s resilience, drawing inspiration from Ukrainian culture and religious iconography. Through his art, the artist sought to remind us that war brings destruction and death, while only dialogue and diplomacy can lead to lasting peace.
Milo Lombardo brought his unique artistic vision, the fruit of over sixty years of experience and a career marked by numerous successes. Born in Barletta (Italy) in 1941, Lombardo developed a style known as “Mediterranean Chromatism,” characterised by bright colours and abstract forms that retain a strong symbolic charge.
In “Dal Diario Italiano” exhibition, Lombardo’s works offered a different yet complementary perspective to Turetskyy’s. While the Ukrainian master portrayed war drama, Lombardo chose to represent the beauty of life and the strength of the human spirit, using vibrant colours and dynamic compositions. His painting, “Modern Figurative Abstraction,” deeply dialogues with Turetskyy’s works, creating a bridge between two seemingly distant cultures united by a shared aspiration for peace.
Among the most admired of Lombardo’s works exhibited in Milan was his latest creation, “The Embrace of the Two Popes,” presented in 2022 at the Vatican Museums during a meeting with Pope Francis. This sculpture symbolised an act of brotherhood between two spiritual figures and the union of different peoples, cultures, and religions.
The exhibition provided a unique opportunity for Milanese and international audiences to engage with the art of two great masters, but above all, it conveyed a message of peace that left no one indifferent. Authorities present at the inauguration, including representatives from the Lombardy Region, the Embassy, and the Consulates General of Ukraine, stressed the importance of events like this, which use art to raise awareness and foster solidarity.
– Special Thanks –
Thanks to the collaboration of numerous associations, such as the Container Lab Association and the MIUFI Association, the exhibition saw a massive turnout, once again demonstrating how art can be a powerful means of communication and a symbol of hope even in the darkest times. The public, who flocked to the exhibition rooms of Palazzo Lombardia throughout the event, appreciated the depth and intensity of the works on display, making the exhibition a true success.
With the official closure on 24 September 2024, “Dal Diario Italiano” will remain in the hearts of those who had the privilege of visiting it as a tangible reminder of how art can help build bridges between peoples and promote peace.
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Article edited by Massimo Basile
Editor & Founder