Debora Hirsch at Palazzo Citterio: Vanishing Trees, the digital installation that gives voice to endangered trees
- Editorial Staff
- Jan 20
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 5
From January 15 to April 15 2026, the LED wall at Palazzo Citterio in Milan hosts a site-specific project that interweaves digital art, science, and memory, open to visitors free of charge.
From January 15 to April 15 2026, Milan presents Vanishing Trees, a site-specific installation by Italian-Brazilian artist Debora Hirsch on the large LED wall at Palazzo Citterio. Curated by Clelia Patella, the project is developed in collaboration with Palazzo Citterio, MNAD – National Museum of Digital Art, and the Brera Botanical Garden, with scientific support from the New York Botanical Garden. Admission is free.
Digital art and biodiversity: when trees speak
Vanishing Trees reinterprets, through generative technologies, the images of three endangered tree species preserved at the Brera Botanical Garden: Ginkgo biloba, Pterocarya fraxinifolia, and Torreya taxifolia. The digital images form and dissolve like natural cycles, transforming the trees into living presences, witnesses to a world that endures despite time and the threat of oblivion.
The installation is not merely aesthetic: memory is the driving force of the work, inviting the public to reflect on the fragility of biodiversity and on humanity’s role in preserving it. The trees “speak” in the first person through texts by Lucas Mertehikian, Director of the Humanities Institute at the New York Botanical Garden, offering a radically non-human perspective on nature.
Fragmenta: the dialogue between digital and physical
Alongside the Ledwall, Hirsch presents Fragmenta, a large-scale physical work (205x205 cm) created using mixed media. The artist intervenes on algorithmically generated images by tearing and manually recomposing them, creating cuts, overlaps, and collisions that reflect the condition of endangered trees and fragmented forests. This dialogue between digital and physical material amplifies the sense of fragility, resilience, and continuity between past and present.
A participatory project grounded in scientific research
Vanishing Trees is a work that merges art and science. In collaboration with the Brera Botanical Garden and the New York Botanical Garden, Hirsch translates botanical research, historical archives, and scientific texts into an emotional and poetic digital language. The project also includes guided visits to the Botanical Garden and the installation, where the artist and curators explore the history of the endangered species.
Debora Hirsch: at the intersection of technology, art and memory
Debora Hirsch is an Italian-Brazilian multidisciplinary artist who explores the relationship between technology, memory, and the plant world. Her practice includes painting, algorithmic processes, 3D animation, and artificial intelligence. Hirsch’s research focuses on biodiversity preservation and the storytelling of endangered species, transforming scientific data and botanical archives into immersive and mindful experiences. Her works have been exhibited at international institutions, including MAXXI Rome, MOCAK Krakow, Smack Mellon New York, and Palazzo della Ragione Verona.
Visitor Information
Title: Vanishing Trees
Artist: Debora Hirsch
Location: Palazzo Citterio, Via Brera 12, Milan
Dates: January 15 – April 15 2026
Opening Hours: Thursday to Sunday: 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Admission: Free
Type: Site-specific digital installation, LED wall
Why visit Vanishing Trees
The installation offers a unique immersive experience, combining digital art, science, and reflection on biodiversity. The trees become icons of resilience and memory, inviting the audience to observe nature with fresh eyes and recognize its importance and fragility. In a Milan increasingly attentive to digital art, Vanishing Trees is a must-see project for anyone wishing to blend aesthetic contemplation with environmental awareness.
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