Created outdoors in the Guatemalan rainforest where she lives, the works of Swiss-Argentinian artistVivian Suter (Buenos Aires, 1949) are the result of an intimate connection with the natural elements. Rain, earth, humidity, dog paw prints, traces of plant and animal organisms all leave their mark on the canvases, overlapping the energetic brushstrokes, bright colours and abstract shapes. Suter recognises that nature plays an important role in the completion of her work, leaving the final result open to chance and the unexpected. Immersively staged to suggest the lush visual richness of the tropical environment in which they are created, these works remind us that human beings are part of a larger, interconnected world. Conveying an ecological sensibility, they invite us to “take care of our common home” (Encyclical Laudato si', Pope Francis, 2015).

Vivian Suter’s installation forms part of the 2025 programme at Conciliazione 5, a new space for contemporary art run by the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Holy See. CONCILIAZIONE 5 is the new space dedicated to contemporary art promoted by the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Holy See, and is curated by Cristiana Perrella.

It is a gateway to art and its ability to engage with the major issues of our time in a free and profound way, generating new questions and new thoughts and thus opening up the possibility of transformation, which is significant not only on a cultural and civil level but also on a spiritual level.