Dante becomes an ambassador of sustainability in Jane Perkins’ work made with recycled material

Un Dante mai visto (Dante as he’s never been seen) is the title of the work created with recycled materials by the artist Jane Perkins, exclusively for Alia Servizi Ambientali SpA. It will be exhibited from October 11 to November 6 at the Casa di Dante Museum and from November 8 to 28, it will be hosted in Palazzo Strozzi Sacrati, where the president of the Tuscan Regional Council is seated in Piazza Duomo, Florence.

“Dante Alighieri has always been the symbol of Tuscany all over the world” commented the president of the Regione Toscana, Eugenio Giani. “It’s great that on the occasion of this anniversary, he can also become the Tuscan testament to environmental sustainability and recycling thanks to this beautiful work that portrays him using plastic material, which thus returns to new life”.

British artist Jane Perkins draws her inspiration from abandoned objects and uses them to create unique works. Her work is spontaneous: the pieces vary in colour, size and texture but are all rearranged through visually cohesive shapes. With hints of Arcimboldo, many small and varied pieces of plastic, buttons and other waste materials combine to create the Supreme Poet in carmine red, standing out on a white background.

“This is an iconic profile of Dante Alighieri in an eco-mosaic version, thanks to the beautiful and original work by the English artist, Jane Perkins”, declared the President of the House of Dante Museum, Cristina Manetti. “On this important anniversary, the Supreme Poet is transformed into a perfect testimonial that sends a message, particularly to young people, on the importance of environmental sustainability, circular economy and solidarity”.

The “queen of creative recycling”, Jane Perkins has started a project together with Alia, which aims to implement a programme involving locals, sharing the concepts of environmental sustainability using different languages and various artistic expressions to reach an ever-wider audience.

President of Alia, Nicola Ciolini, added “We continue our path to create awareness among citizens on the recovery of materials and recycling also using the expressive arts. We are honoured to have carried out this project with an internationally renowned artist. With this work, we can celebrate the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri alongside the Tuscany Region and the museum.”