Italian
On May 5th in Venice, at the Orto Giardino del Redentore in Giudecca, Venice Gardens Foundation inaugurates Orizzonte. A garden in Venice, an exhibition by Sarah Moon, from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM. The exhibition, organized by the Foundation, will be open to the public until October 6, 2026.
In 2025, the Venice Gardens Foundation invited Sarah Moon to the Orto Giardino of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, recently restored by the Foundation. From this meeting arises A Garden in Venice, a four-minute film in intimate resonance with the essence of the garden adjacent to the Basilica of Palladio, erected as a symbol of rebirth after the plague of 1575. A spiritual and botanical heritage at the same time, a hermitage of meditation and harmony where silence is not merely the absence of noise, but a gentle breath of deep peace that the music of Arvo Pärt, accompanying the images, makes palpable.
Notes and mirages blend with the nature photographs created by the artist throughout her prestigious career, culminating in the exhibition Horizon. Moon suggests, evokes, captures the shadows, the interstices, and the suspended silences, echoes of memory. Throughout the journey, the boundaries waver, disorienting the gaze and unfolding dreamlike narratives, reflections of the complex dialectic between the visible and the invisible.
The work of Sarah Moon intertwines here with the mission of Venice Gardens Foundation, which cares for and protects the gardens entrusted to it, watching over their eternal metamorphosis, encouraging the restless soul to linger in the mystery.
On the occasion of the exhibition, the book Orizzonte. A Garden in Venice has been published, printed in a limited edition of 500 numbered copies from 1 to 500.
The exhibition was created by Venice Gardens Foundation, with the support of Van Cleef & Arpels.
“My gratitude to Adele Re Rebaudengo and the Venice Gardens Foundation for allowing me to spend a few days in solitude in the Garden of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer and for making the birth of the exhibition Horizon. A garden in Venice possible. Entering this place, patiently restored, means crossing a threshold, taking a step into the depths of the world, in a time suspended outside of time, in a silence I had never felt before, interrupted only by the ringing of the bells that reminds us of the presence of the friars.
I would like to thank Arvo Pärt, whose music perpetuates the mystery of time. I also thank everyone who contributed to the realization of the project.
Sarah Moon
“We are happy and honored to have welcomed Sarah Moon to the Orto Giardino del Redentore; her art and the commitment of the Foundation converge here in the intention to “feel” nature, contributing to its preservation: one through the mastery of photography and moving images, the other through restoration, care, and constant guardianship.
The intertwining of the photography selection “Horizon”, the film “A Garden in Venice” – both created by Moon – and the music of Arvo Pärt “Fratres” – performed by the twelve Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra – and “Miserere” – performed by The Hilliard Ensemble, Paul Hillier – forms the narrative of this event which, in addition to a contemplative look at the Garden, Venice, and Nature, also reflects that of the Garden, the City, and Nature itself.”
Adele Re Rebaudengo, President of Venice Gardens Foundation
***
Sarah Moon, a photographer since 1970 and a director since 1978, challenges conventions and overturns codes to create a work of irreducible uniqueness. The scope of her art constantly expands: from still images to moving ones, from fashion photography and advertising films to personal research. She quickly gains international fame and, during her extraordinary career, receives numerous accolades for both her photographic and film work. Moon, in addition to exhibiting in the most prestigious museums in the world, has published – initially with her husband Robert Delpire – books that mark significant milestones in an uninterrupted creative movement; within them, she collects those images from the past that inspire her to continue: Vrais semblants, Sarah Moon in the Photo Poche series, Coïncidences, 1,2,3,4,5, Alchimies, and, in 2020, PasséPrésent, the catalog of the exhibition at the Musée d’Art Moderne.
Venice Gardens Foundation – founded and chaired by Adele Re Rebaudengo – has been developing and implementing projects aimed at the restoration, conservation, and protection of botanical, artistic, and architectural heritage (Giardini Reali di San Marco and Orto Giardino della Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore) for over twelve years, as well as recognizing the foundational role it can play in a community context. This commitment extends to a broad program of cultural and social research aimed at the knowledge and safeguarding of such assets: a commitment aimed at rebuilding the intimate relationship with nature through restoration, constant care, and custody, in virtue of affinity, harmony, and respect.
Useful information:
During the opening period of Sarah Moon’s exhibition, the Garden of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer is open to the public on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in May and June, and in September and October from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM; Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in July and August from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
