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Ethical Manifesto of Marco Gradi

The oil cyrcle

We are aware that

Oil is an extraordinary and precious heritage that nature has made available to mankind through a work lasting millions of years.

The Earth’s atmosphere began with enormous amounts of carbon dioxide, with a very high greenhouse effect; Thanks to the action of plant organisms and photosynthesis, CO2 has been transformed into oxygen by retaining carbon in the soil. Over millions of years, plant organisms have died bringing with them to the ground and then into the subsoil, all the carbon captured, burying it in the form of oil, coal and natural gas. Black gold is a great gift of nature, which has allowed us a much easier and wider access to energy, pushing the progress and development of humanity towards new frontiers of science, medicine, technology and of the whole civilization.

Even a child, however, is able to understand that if we extract all of the available oil, burning it and throwing carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, we will cause an irreversible damage to the planet in a few centuries and it would take millions of years to remedy it.

The heritage of oil should not be wasted at the expense of the environment, but should be protected and used to invest in progress.

We believe that

It is wrong to squander this valuable substance considering it only for its economic value, without thinking about the consequences of atmospheric pollution and climate changes; It is indispensable to seek a sustainable balance between human progress and respect for the environment, to grow in harmony with the nature of which we are a part of;

it is the duty of all citizens to do simple actions, to their own abilities, that daily allow the saving of energy, reducing useless waste and safeguarding our black treasure (turn off an unnecessary light, reduce the house temperature by 1 degree, raise it by 2 degrees in summer, use a bike more often, choose less polluting cars, etc.);

it is self-destructive for governments and oil multinationals to push mining activities without planning a shared goal, resetting global investments towards the development of clean energy;

it is better to employ oil in the production of new super-resilient plastics made of carbon or with new chemical / physical properties rather than burning it dispersing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, so that carbon will remain on the ground and migrate into clean energies helping us find that wonderful equilibrium that will continue to improve man’s life on the planet.

We intend to act

Asking citizens to take part in the performances of Marco Gradi, bringing with them a book that will be transformed into artwork. The book is a symbol of culture and thanks to the energy made available by oil, it has been widely spread in the last century, and now it has to restore awareness and become an impulse of wisdom;

assisting the artist in the act of dipping the books in the oil then returning them to their legitimate owners. With this action, Marco Gradi, like a modern King Mida of the Black Gold, will transform objects belonging to our daily life into an icon of never ending evidence of a solid commitment to the improvement of the planet;

proposing and spreading this performance throughout the world, so that, through the action of Marco Gradi, all citizens can be aware of the positive values of oil.

ARTantide.com and Marco Gradi believe that even a few concrete actions can change the world.

Last Museal Projects

2022 | Alem da Etica, Museo "De Arte de Blumenau". Blumenau, Brasil

2022 | RE GENESIS, Oltre le Tenebre, Diocesan Museum of Vicenza

2021 | Marco Gradi, Museo Zamak Belimarković di Vrnjačka Banja (Serbia)

2020 | ARTEOLOGIA - Oltre l'Etica, Archeological Museum of Vicenza (Italy)

2019 | Oltre l'Etica, Paranaense Museum, 14th International Biennale of Curitiba (Brasil)

2018 | ARTEOLOGIA, National Archeological Museum of Venice