WATER DREAM MEMORY
Sara Bonaventura, Lukas Taido, and Matteo Zamagni
curated by Eriberto Eulisse and Mara Sartore
Unesco, Palazzo Zorzi 132, Venice
May 1st – June 28th, 2026
Opening April 30th, 6pm
In the heart of Venice, where the fluid boundaries between history and the future constantly dissolve, water reasserts itself not as a mere resource, but as a profound state of the human imagination.
Opening on April 30th at 6pm at Palazzo Zorzi – home of the UNESCO Venice Office – the exhibition Water Dream Memory, curated by curated by Eriberto Eulisse and Mara Sartore, approaches water as a threshold element: unstable, elusive, and negotiating the delicate space between presence and disappearance. This liminal condition mirrors our contemporary ecological crisis – fragmented, uncertain, and often unperceived.
Presented during the 2026 Venice Biennale Arte, the exhibition features works by Sara Bonaventura, Lukas Taido and Matteo Zamagni selected by the Global Network of Water Museums (WAMU+NET), which is a Flagship Initiative of UNESCO-IHP (Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme). The show as part of the S+T+ARTS project Aqua Motion, moves beyond purely technical narratives to foster a human-centered approach to environmental change.
The artists translate scientific data into visceral imagery and spatial tensions, allowing water – whether present, absent, or remembered – to emerge as a critical and sensitive force. Through this aesthetic inquiry, the exhibition promotes a ‘new culture of water’, reconnecting communities with water as a shared heritage and a collective responsibility.
Escrewing traditional narratives of catastrophe, Water Dream Memory creates immersive ‘zones of attention’. It invites viewers to slow down and engage with water not as a ‘neutral resource’ but as a ‘living matter’ shaped by time, circulation, and care – echoing the philosophical truth that water is not just a substance, but the very fluid through which we perceive our world.
