Hill of Desires. Practices of Rural Imagination
Viaindustriae Publishing and Tilia are pleased to announce the publication of Hill of Desires: Practices of Rural Imagination, edited by Matteo Binci, Pietro Consolandi, Giacomo Pigliapoco, and Bianca Schröder, and distributed internationally by Idea Books.
Conceived as a collective publishing project, Hill of Desires engages with contemporary art as a situated practice rooted in Europe’s peripheral and inland territories. The book approaches rurality not as a residual condition, but as a space of counter-narration capable of generating political ecologies, affective infrastructures, and non-institutional forms of knowledge. In doing so, it contributes to the redefinition of cultural geographies and curatorial paradigms beyond event-based logic.
The volume brings together theoretical contributions by Elvira Vannini, Panos Giannikopoulos, Simone Ciglia, Emanuele Braga, Myvillages (Kathrin Böhm, Wapke Feenstra), Robida Collective (Vida Rucli, Aljaž Škrlep), Paisanaje, Ronald Kolb, and Marcelo Expósito. It also includes a visual atlas of key works produced in Italy from 1960 to the present, a collective bibliography, and photographic documentation from the multi-year experience of Traffic Festival.
Published by Viaindustriae Publishing, the book is available with three artist-designed covers by Jumana Manna, Maria Thereza Alves, and Bianca Schröder, each offering a distinct interpretation of contemporary rurality through different material and political perspectives.
European book tour
The book is presented across numerous European institutions and venues through public events that use it as a platform for discussion, engaging with specific local contexts and fostering new forms of collaboration.
MAGA—Museo Arte Gallarate: December 13, 2025
Conversation between Giacomo Pigliapoco and Riccardo Arena.
Infinito Delicias Madrid: January 16, 2026
Workshop and conversation between Pietro Consolandi and Paisanaje.
Municipality of Loreto: February 28, 2026
Book presentation by Matteo Binci.
MAXXI L’Aquila: March 13, 2026
Conversation between Fanny Borel, Marco Brandizzi, Silvia Di Gregorio, Marcelo Expósito, Mario Pieroni, Dora Stiefelmeier and Matteo Binci.
Instável—Centro Coreográfico do Porto: March 21, 2026
Conversation between Matteo Binci and Loom Collective.
Facultad de Bellas Artes de San Carlos, Valencia: March 24, 2026
Conversation between Matteo Binci, Mijo Miquel, Rafael Tormo Cuenca.
Made in Cloister Foundation, Naples: March 26, 2026
Conversation between Matteo Binci, Elvira Vannini, Eugenio Tibaldi, Eleonora De Blasio.
Centro per l’arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prat: March 27, 2026
Conversation between Matteo Binci, Emanuele Braga, Vida Rucli (Robida Collective).
Jeu de Paume, Paris: April 15, 2026
Conversation between Matteo Binci, Maria Thereza Alves, David Liver.
