IED students have created "Pathos Formulas," an exhibition curated by Francesca Gavin at the former Teatro dell'Oriuolo in Florence. The project pays homage to German art historian Aby Warburg and his concept of the "Pathosformel" — the survival and transformation of visual gestures across time. Seventeen students from IED campuses across Italy, Spain, and Bilbao collaborated for five months, producing seven collaborative projects, two individual works, a sound piece, and a publication designed as an evolving archive. The exhibition explores how images never remain static but continue to resonate and acquire new meanings through the ages.
This exhibition matters because it directly engages with one of the most pressing contemporary themes: the role of the archive in an age of infinite images, digital preservation, and AI-generated visuals. By using Warburg's thought as a lens, the project challenges students and viewers to reconsider how we collect, combine, and transform images today. Florence, deeply connected to Warburg's intellectual journey, provides an ideal setting for this reflection on memory, contamination between disciplines, and the survival of visual culture. The show demonstrates how art education can foster meaningful dialogue between past and present, and between different creative fields.