Water Dream Memory

Exhibition Open from 11 am to 6 pm. Closed on Mondays. May 1–June 28, 2026.

The exhibition WATER DREAM MEMORY is hosted at Palazzo Zorzi, headquarters of the UNESCO Office in Venice, in conjunction with the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. The exhibition explores water as a threshold element: unstable, elusive, and suspended between presence and disappearance. This liminal condition mirrors today’s ecological crisis—fragmented, often invisible, yet deeply shaping our societies.
Organized by WAMU+NET and curated by Eriberto Eulisse within the framework of the S+T+ARTS AQUA MOTION project, the exhibition brings together artistic practices that translate scientific research into immersive and poetic experiences, namely through the works Thermal Alchemy, by Sara Bonaventura, and Intermittence, by Lukas Taido. Both 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 aims at reconnecting individuals and communities with water as a shared heritage and a collective responsibility. Eschewing 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.

Frame from Thermal Alchemy (2026), by Sara Bonaventura. Performer: Julie Gautier.

Sara Bonaventura - Thermal Alchemy

Developed during her artist residency “Re-imagining Water” hosted by the Municipality of Montegrotto Terme (Padua), this work explores the thermal waters of Montegrotto Terme, moving across archaeology, geology and biology. Her multimedia work traces a cosmic journey from the Earth's origins to the pulsating heart of the Euganean Hills, where water becomes the bridge between deep geological time and the unconscious. Inspired by the latest theories in astrobiology, which identify primordial hot springs as the biochemical cradle of life, the narrative retraces the planet's history in 15 minutes. From the emergence of anaerobic and aerobic life in the ancestral ocean to the secrets of endosymbiosis, we rediscover in the cyanobacteria of the Euganean muds, the primordial witnesses of an uninterrupted biological epic.
The thermal water circuit is understood not merely as a geological phenomenon, but as a healing ritual rooted in the genius loci of the Hills. This ritual of ancestral reconnection is embodied by the underwater performance of Julie Gautier, inspired by the figure of the priestess of Reitia, the ancient Venetic deity of waters and healing. The springs emerge as a Thermal Alchemy released by volcanoes without craters: a liquid bridge between the memory of the rocks and human matrix. Developed in collaboration with the Museum of Ancient Spas of Montegrotto (Museo del Termalismo Antico), this artwork is an invitation to perceive thermalism as a cosmic embrace, where the water flowing today is the same that, for billions of years, has guarded and regenerated the mystery of life.

Frame from Intermittence (2026), by Lukas Taido.

Lukas Taido – Intermittence

Created during his residency at the Archaeological Park of the Campi Flegrei (Naples), titled ‘Aqua Ductus – Water Traces’, as part of the challenge ‘Echoes of Liquid Knowledge’ this work investigates the ancient Augustan aqueduct (1st century AD). By revealing a rupture where contemporary heavy infrastructure intersects this historic system, it contrasts sustainable Roman engineering with today’s water management practices. The Augustan Aqueduct is a unique monumental infrastructure that sustained several Roman iconic cities, such as Herculaneum, Pompeii, and Naples, eventually flowing into the Piscina Mirabilis: an amazing hydraulic structure. From this site, the water supplied countless ships that navigated the Mediterranean, connecting the most remote areas of the Roman Empire. Taido’s work transforms the archaeological evidence of ancient stones and water flows into a visual experience that speaks of ingenuity, persistence, and sustainability. Through this video installation, the artist highlights the stark paradox of our consumption patterns.
Today, by contrast, many diesel trucks pass by the ancient hydraulic structure, burning fossil fuels, emitting CO2 and toxic fumes to haul palettes of bottles filled with water from the same spring, sold to citizens in thousands of small plastic containers. In Taido’s work, convoys of trucks bypass forgotten vestiges of the old aqueduct — a silent, resilient, unparalleled symbol of farsighted water management that, 2.000 years ago, provided water for free to all citizens, requiring no energy consumption and generating zero emissions.