PRESENTATION:Laura Mega and Daniel Pešta-Where My Soul Compiles

The exhibition “Where My Soul Compiles” with works by Laura Mega and Daniel Pešta, is an existential and psychological exploration of a place – real or metaphorical – where the soul gathers, integrates, and expresses its deepest truth. In a  time marked by fragmentation and conflict, this reflection becomes particularly urgent, highlighting the need to find a space of inner calm, emotional clarity, and genuine belonging.

By Dimitris LEmpesis
Photo: Garibaldi Gallery Archive

The project’s title “Where My Soul Compiles” arises from the meeting of ancient spiritual language and the digital term “code compilation” – a technical process that assembles diverse elements into a  coherent and functional whole. Similarly, the exhibition examines how human experience, both individual and collective, can find meaning through the harmonious recomposition of emotions, memories, and values. The exhibition strongly emphasizes attentive listening to emotional wounds, social and civic suffering, and the human ability to form authentic connections. Rather than a traditional exhibition, it offers a sensory, participatory, and emotionally engaging experience.

Its intention is to create an emotional and communicative bridge between the artworks and visitors, offering an encounter that goes beyond mere aesthetic contemplation towards genuine sharing of feelings and sensitivities. The project invites a rediscovery of the soul – both individual and collective – and encourages a profound reconnection with the complexity and fragility of human existence in contemporary society. Its aim is to inspire viewers to reconnect with their own authentic humanity and to foreground values such as compassion, empathy, and humanity as foundations for reflection and dialogue.

The project brings together two international artists, Daniel Pešta and Laura Mega, whose practices engage in a  subtle yet intense dialogue with contemporary issues of significant social and human relevance. Within the exhibition space, paintings and installations alternate. In a  series of new watercolors, Daniel Pešta explores – much like in the writings of Sigmund Freud – the concept of sublimation as a psycho- logical defense mechanism that enables individuals to survive seemingly insoluble life situations. Sublimation can also be understood as applicable to today’s global reality, which often exceeds the limits of human comprehension. Pešta ad- dresses the most intimate shadows of both personal and collective existence, frequently buried deep within the unconscious, while always al- lowing a ray of hope to emerge – hope under- stood as the only possible way forward.

Laura Mega presents installations that explore the emotional dimension through soft and symbolic materials, with embroidered fabrics and evocative objects creating an immersive and moving environment. These works prompt pro- found reflection on the dynamics of conflict and love, translating themes such as fragility, collective memory, and mutual care into tactile and participatory forms. The works of both artists are intended to be traversed and experienced by the public, evoking dialogue between absence and presence, pain and comfort, and generating sensory and intellectual engagement that amplifies the universal message of humanity and connection.

Daniel Pešta is a Czech multimedia artist who blends diverse formal elements with a consistent semantic ambiguity, thanks to his recognizable style. He employs a wide range of media, from realistic painting (often with a marked expressive element) to allegorical assemblages and objects combined with historical artifacts and photo- graphs, as well as his personal photography, video art, and performance. He has the ability to create works that are narrative, abstract, or symbolic. His artistic career began in the 1980s, during the period of so-called “normalization” under the Czechoslovak communist regime. His work, which is often politically engaged, is largely influenced by his personal experience of living in a totalitarian state. His main themes revolve around political leaders’ power-obsession, the destructive force of manipulated masses, the injustices committed against individuals and entire groups, but also hope and the ‘power of the powerless’—a term coined by Václav Havel, dissident and later first president of free Czechoslovakia after the fall of the USSR.

Laura Mega is a contemporary artist active on the international scene, with works that explore emancipation and social justice. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome and at the University of the Image in Milan – a pioneering institution on the five senses founded by photographer Fabrizio Ferri. Her research seeks to examine the development of human beings, both individually and collectively, in order to promote more just, equitable, and respectful societies in human relationships and with the environment. She uses clear, contemporary visual language to touch on emotion- al, social, and political themes, with a subtle irony that invites the viewer to actively reinterpret narratives from alternative perspectives.

Photo: Laura Mega, Heal Your Heart_Padded and embroidered fabric, 2026, (10 Sacks_Art Installation), 51×30 Cm Each Sack, Photo Credit Vinicio Ferri, © & Courtesy the artist

Info: Curators: Chiara Modìca Donà dalle Rose, Garibaldi Gallery, Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, Castello 1815, Venice, Italy, Duration:6/6-22/11/2026, Days & Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 11:00-19:00 (May – September) &  10:00-18:00 (October – November)