In December 2023, Interno Verde launched the second edition of Interno Verde Design, an illustration competition aimed at students, recent graduates and young professionals under 35, who were called upon to interpret the theme: Botanica Fantastica.
Ten illustrations to explore the unexpressed potential of the plant kingdom, including flowers and imaginary plants. On display are the works selected from the Botanica Fantastica competition, conceived by Interno Verde with the support of “Parma, io ci sto” and the collaboration of the Botanical Garden.
The initiative – supported by the association “Parma, io ci sto!” – represented the heart of the Impronte Off programme, devised by Interno Verde to bring the new generations closer to the exhibition “Impronte | Noi e le piante”, open free of charge until Monday 1 April 2024 at the Palazzo del Governatore in Parma
Curated by the Botanical Garden of Parma, it brings together a compendium of fascinating testimonies that narrate the evolution of botanical representation over the centuries: from medieval herbarium drawings to the most innovative digital reproductions.
The ten works selected from 180 applications received as of Friday 1 March have become an integral part of the exhibition itinerary. They welcome the visitor on the ground floor of the building, anticipating the testimonies and historical documents that can then be encountered on the first floor.
Also on Friday 1 March, along with the presentation of the boards, the name of the first-prize winning author was revealed, who deserved a prize of EUR 500, a two-night stay for two people in an INCHotels establishment and two tickets to the next edition of the Interno Verde festival.
The evaluation was entrusted to an exceptional jury, composed of: Emiliano Ponzi, an internationally renowned illustrator with countless awards and prestigious collaborations behind him, from the Salone del Mobile to the New Yorker, from Vanity Fair to Moleskine, Elisa Seitzinger, a visual artist famous above all for updating and reinterpreting the iconic conciseness of medieval art, Silvia Molinari, an artist specialised in botanical watercolours, the signature of well-known campaigns and covers, from Legambiente to Gardenia, Elena Canadelli, professor of naturalistic museology at the University of Padua, a populariser committed to combining science and contemporary visual culture.
The work that earned the highest step on the podium is called ‘Botanic Magic’, is inspired by Paul Klee’s ‘Fish Magic’, and was created by Francesca Padovan. In second and third place were ‘Erba Bestia’ and ‘Fragili Fiori’, respectively by Giulia Piras and Laine Nameda Lazda.
Each of the ten finalist authors will receive two free tickets to an edition of their choice of the Interno Verde 2024 festival. A nominal free ticket will also be reserved for the remaining 170 nominees.
