The Laura Gonzalez Gallery in New York unveils a new exhibition on the occasion of TEFAF 2026. Conceived as a compelling visual dialogue between Italian artist Pietro Ruffo and Laura Gonzalez’s singular design universe, the project also marks a collaboration with the Paris-based gallery PRON, which has brought Ruffo to New York to exhibit within Laura Gonzalez’s gallery space.
Pietro Ruffo presents a curated selection of works spanning oil, ink, and his signature cut-out paper compositions. Born in Rome in 1978 and trained as an architect at Università Roma Tre, Ruffo approaches drawing and sculpture as instruments of research, rooted in philosophical, social, and ethical inquiry.
His layered works intertwine natural landscapes and human figures, cartographies and constellations, geometric structures and fragments of text, constructing stratified visual narratives that explore universal themes, particularly freedom and the dignity of the individual. One of the most important Italian contemporary artists, Ruffo represented the Venice Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024 and held a major solo exhibition at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome.
In 2022, Pietro Ruffo embarked on the Anthropocene series,a profound exploration of humanity’s impact on our planet. The term “Anthropocene” describes a new geological epoch in which humans have become the primary force reshaping the Earth. Traditionally, geological eras have been defined by natural transformations; today, however, our influence on climate, ecosystems, landscapes, and even the soil itself has become so significant that it marks the transition from one geological age to another. Through this body of work, Ruffo reflects on this pivotal moment in history, where mankind has emerged as the dominant force shaping the future of the planet.
Beyond its conceptual depth, each painting in the series is also deeply rooted in history. The background of every work is composed of a historical map of New York City, onto which Ruffo overlays primordial forests dating back millions of years. These landscapes are not imagined: the artist worked from scientific research based on the study of fossilized pollen, a method that allows scientists to identify the exact plant species that once inhabited a given territory. The forests integrated into the maps therefore correspond to the original vegetation that existed on this land long before the modern city emerged.
By bringing together cartography, science, history, and imagination, Ruffo creates a layered vision of time in which past and present coexist. The works invite the viewer to reconsider the relationship between humanity and nature, while revealing the hidden memory embedded within the territory itself.
This approach also offers a new way of contextualizing history. The United States is often perceived as a relatively young nation, yet Ruffo’s works remind us that the land on which its cities stand carries a history that is infinitely older than human civilization. By superimposing ancient ecosystems onto contemporary geography, the artist expands our perception of time and encourages us to see history not only through political or human events, but through the much longer and deeper history of the Earth itself.
As if drawn from the sea floor, a rising current ascends in quiet tension, a light lifted from submerged constellations and hidden geographies. Suspended between gravity and buoyancy, it suggests an object retrieved rather than composed, shaped by invisible tides and the slow memory of water.
The lamp is handcrafted in Murano by Maestro Diego and entirely realized in artisanal glass. The blown form, both delicate and resolute, recalls a marine relic, a luminous fragment brought into air.
Its vertical suspension, composed of maritime-inspired cords structured through a canopy and central knot, evokes nautical rigging. The lines trace a gesture of ascent, reinforcing the work’s sculptural presence within the exhibition.
