In a world of hypercommunication, the inability to communicate finds expression in the works of Marco Toso Borella, a multifaceted Murano glass artist, in a solo exhibition entitled BABEL, on view at the Murano Glass Museum from 12 June 2026 to 30 March 2027.
Organised by Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, the exhibition brings together around twenty previously unseen works by the Murano-born artist, one of the leading contemporary exponents of the technique of engraving on gold leaf applied to glass. His work reinterprets this traditional technique through a contemporary artistic approach that combines heritage, experimentation and social reflection.
In an age dominated by digital hypercommunication, BABEL explores the contemporary paradox of the inability to communicate. The works evoke a symbolic and metaphysical universe in which the tensions of the twenty-first century converge: the alienation generated by social media, the impact of artificial intelligence, and the loss of identity and human connection. Archetypal figures and references to the Western cultural tradition become tools for interpreting the present and exploring the fragility of contemporary humanity.
The artist’s dreamlike world emerges from the layered depths of his metaphysical subjects, while also offering visitors an insight into the historical and cultural significance of an ancient Murano technique, brought back to the forefront of contemporary artistic research.
Marco Toso Borella, a glass painter and author, has spent over forty years experimenting with Murano artistic glass. Alongside his artistic practice, he is known as the founder and director of the Big Vocal Orchestra, one of Italy’s largest permanent vocal ensembles, comprising more than 300 singers from Venice.
In Murano, his works are on display in the permanent collection of the Murano Glass Museum and in the Basilica of San Donato.
The exhibition offers an engaging journey through contemporary art, historical memory and Venetian cultural identity, reaffirming Murano glass as a living and relevant form of artistic expression.
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Admission to the exhibition with the Museum’s hours and ticket.
