The art of Rebecca Agnes

Rebecca Agnes tells an artistic and human journey that began between Milan and Berlin, a journey made up of walks, drawn maps, cherished memories and a possible utopia.

In dialogue with the city, Agnes explores space and time, bringing to light stories of women, vanished places and new perspectives on the relationship between city and nature through projects and works.

Walking in the footsteps of women

Female place names are a mirror that reflects both the presence and absence of women’s memory in the city. In Milan, Agnes explains, out of over 4,500 streets and squares, only about 150 are dedicated to women, a figure that speaks of invisibility and underrepresentation. The first monument to a woman was erected in 2021, followed by a second in 2022, a sign of a slow cultural awakening.

Through exploratory walks, Rebecca Agnes has mapped these places, not only those that are still visible, but also those that have been erased or transformed. Her drawings become large maps that tell a story of journeys, temporary encounters and personal or collective memories, captured in demonstrations, graffiti or rituals such as funerals.

The memories of the city are often lost, but I try to keep them alive.

The fragile memory of cities

In addition to Milan, Agnes’ workshops have involved other cities such as Venice, Belgrade, Sofia, and Sicily, places where the urban fabric bears the scars of personal stories or collective tragedies. The memories preserved by the inhabitants are portraits of invisible cities, evoked through painting and storytelling, reconstructions of spaces that no longer exist but continue to live on in memory.

In the heart of Milan’s Ticinese district, Agnes observed the evolution from a place of creativity and alternative art to a gentrified and centralised one, similar to Berlin, where the expulsion of artists is erasing years of creative and cultural ferment.

Utopia and nature: the possible city

In recent years, her work has taken a utopian and environmental turn. With the series ‘Nubicuculia’ – a name that combines Aristophanes’ city of birds and the idea of looking among the clouds to capture new forms – Agnes proposes an idea of the city that is not only a physical place but a landscape of relationships between species.

Her pareos depict landscapes of clouds and distant cities, adorned with slogans that challenge the anthropocentric view and invite a change of perspective. Phrases such as “Another society is possible” or “The scent of the meadow is the cry of pain of the grass” question the way we perceive nature and emphasise the urgency of shared and collective responsibility.