New stage of approach towards the 400th Festino of Santa Rosalia. This morning, at Palazzo Palagonia, the exhibition gallery of Palazzo Palagonia was inaugurated, curated by Civita for a project of the Gallery of Modern Art of Palermo – Gam, in the new “Pietro Scaglione” Press Room.
Lagalla, “Initiative that gives prestige to a historic building”
“The exhibition inaugurated today, in the new press room of the Municipality of Palermo, for which I thank Civita and Gam, is certainly an initiative that gives prestige to this historic building but, above all, that gives voice to the inestimable artistic heritage preserved from Gam. In fact, some of her most prestigious works have been reproduced here through an innovative installation. I am sure that this will be a way to explain the Modern Art Gallery of Palermo even better” declares the mayor of Palermo Roberto Lagalla.
Sansone, “Some of the most prestigious masterpieces of the 20th century have been selected”
“Together with GAM and the Municipality of Palermo, we have selected some of the most prestigious masterpieces of the twentieth century from the Gallery of Modern Art of Palermo, identified for their strong social and symbolic value. Their reproduction on lightboxes allows you to create an exhibition itinerary that combines tradition and innovation, enhancing the history of art and making it accessible to the contemporary public”, adds the administrator of Civita Sicilia, Renata Sansone.
Communication campaign and Santa Rosalia Award 2024
On the same occasion, the communication campaign “Palermo flourishes with you” and the “Santa Rosalia 2024 Award” were presented: a photographic competition promoted by the Municipality of Palermo with the contribution of the Port System Authority of the Western Sicilian Sea and the participation of the Order of Journalists of Sicily.
Cannella, “Palermo flourishes with you is a story of hope”
“Palermo flourishes with you is a story of hope, an invitation to active civic participation and to sharing an unprecedented journey within this four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of the miraculous body of Santa Rosalia and this administration is committed to celebrating Santuzza with a rich calendar of events that will be a corollary to the Festino. Palermo will tell the story of this historical moment with theatrical performances, including on the street, video mapping, cultural meetings, live concerts until the end of the year. To these is added the photographic competition ‘Palermo flourishes with Santa Rosalia’, for which I thank the president of the Port Authority, Pasqualino Monti, and the president of the Journalists’ Association, Roberto Gueli, for having believed in an initiative which has objective is the creation of a permanent exhibition on Festino 2024 which, through an international promotion circuit, will bring the story of Palermo outside Sicily”, declares the councilor for Culture, Giampiero Cannella.
Contest
Together with the photo competition, a contest will be launched aimed at citizens and tourists who will stop in Palermo on 14 and 15 July, who will want to post a photo with the official hashtag of the party #lasperanzasiamonoi. Among these, an image will be selected to be included in the exhibition.
All the initiatives that will make up the program will be included on the official website www.ilfestinodisantarosalia.it
“Santa Rosalia Award”, the photography competition
The Municipality of Palermo, with the contribution of the Port System Authority of the Western Sicilian Sea, intends to create a permanent photographic exhibition to tell the celebrations of next 14 and 15 July 2024. The exhibition, which will have the objective of creating a immersive photo-story of the Festino, will be created at the Galleria d’Arte Moderna (Gam) in Palermo, starting from 4 September 2024 and until December 2024. Subsequently, the works on display will be the protagonists of an inaugural event of the Jubilee Year Rosaliano at the premises of the Port System Authority and then they can be transferred to other premises available to the Municipality, to remain a permanent point of reference for the tourist and cultural offer of the territory. Furthermore, the works, during the year 2025, may be the subject of an international promotion circuit. For the realization of this project, the Municipality of Palermo is announcing a photographic competition with the aim of selecting the photographic shots that best interpret the spirit and emotions of this 1400th Festino.
The competition includes two sections and is aimed at photographers registered in the national register of journalists or representatives of the foreign press and to professional photographers, not registered in the register of journalists, who have however published photographic services or reports in Italian or foreign newspapers.
Communication campaign Palermo flourishes with you”
The communication campaign of the 400th Festino di Santa Rosalia opens up a new vision for the city of Palermo: it talks about the beauty linked to regenerating nature. Images and videos portray details of the nineteenth-century gardens, the botanical garden, the Favorita park seen from the Sanctuary of Monte Pellegrino, and amplify the narrative of a new “flowering” of the city starting from its miraculous Saint. Holiness, expressed in the story of a Rose that is created through the composition of its petals, is a vision, a perfume, a “sudden spiritual revelation” which becomes, as the story unfolds, a plurality of voices, visions, stories that create a the collective soul in which #lasperanzasiamonoi.
The Palermo told is the projection of a journey that goes from a dream to a collective rebirth. And it does so, just as happens in a re-flowering, through the care expressed by every citizen, by every man or woman who lives in or passes through the city as a visitor. Just as the rose needs time, water, light and dedication to flourish again, Palermo also needs care and attention, under the guidance of Santa Rosalia. Palermo flourishes with you is therefore a story of hope and a new beginning, an invitation to active civic participation and to sharing an unprecedented journey within this four hundredth Rosalian anniversary.
The campaign is created by the Palermo communication agency AlbaMedia.
“Pietro Scaglione” Press Room
The layout of the “Pietro Scaglione” Press Room and the adjacent Gallery is the result of the collaboration between Gam and Civita Sicilia, with the aim of enhancing the prestigious Gam collection in a unique context such as that of the Press Room of Palazzo Palagonia. The Visiva company took care of the production and setup.
Reproductions of a selection of twentieth-century masterpieces from the Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Palermo (GAM) are displayed on lightboxes, identified for their strong social and symbolic value. This choice combines tradition and innovation, enhancing the history of art and making it accessible to the contemporary public.
What is exhibited, the list of reproductions of the works
Reproductions of the following are on display:
- “Colpo di Vento” by Plinio Nomellini, oil on canvas from 1910 which captures the vitality and energy of modern society;
- “Gli Scolari” by Felice Casorati, oil on canvas from 1927-28 which reflects on the importance of education and instruction;
- “Le Nozze” by Massimo Campigli, oil on canvas from 1924 which celebrates the rite of marriage as the foundation of the community;
- “Bajadere” by Totò Gregorietti, oil on canvas from 1924 which takes us back to the elegance and splendor of the Belle Époque of Palermo;
- “Maternity, or Moses Saved” by Fausto Pirandello, oil on canvas from 1921 which evokes the universal dimension of family and hospitality, for the foundation of a new people;
- “First chronicle of time” by Corrado Cagli, oil on canvas from 1935, a monumental work presented at the Quadrennial of National Art in Rome, symbol of the commitment to the reconstruction of the territory and of social and political changes;
- “Carabinieri” by Pippo Rizzo, oil on canvas from 1924 which represents the strength of public order to protect the community;
In the gallery adjacent to the Press Room, a selection of works on the history and myth of Palermo is exhibited:
- “I Vespri Siciliani” by Erulo Eruli, oil on canvas from 1890-91, which recalls one of the crucial events in the city’s history;
- “Fishermen of Sferracavallo” by Luigi Di Giovanni, oil on canvas from 1892, which portrays the life and work of fishermen in one of the seaside villages of Palermo;
- “The Coronation Loggia” by Salvatore Gregorietti, oil on canvas from 1894, which immortalises a solemn moment in the history of the city.
In the part of the Gallery dedicated to landscapes, we can admire:
- “Marina” by Francesco Lojacono, oil on canvas from 1880-90, which captures the beauty of the Palermo coast, the landscape as a common good;
- “Vecchio Porto” by Ettore De Maria Bergler, oil on canvas from 1909, a work awarded at the Venice Biennale as one of the most important in the South, which documents the urban evolution of the city;
- “View of Monte Catalfano” by Francesco Lojacono, oil on canvas from 1865-70, one of his most famous works;
- “View of Palermo” by Francesco Lojacono, oil on canvas from 1875, an internationally renowned urban landscape;
- “The Fountain of Hercules” by Ettore De Maria Bergler, oil on canvas from 1910, work presented at the Venice Biennale.
A part of the Gallery is dedicated to celebrating the 400 years of the canonization of Santa Rosalia, patron saint of the City of Palermo, with the following works:
“Santa Rosalia imploring Palermo” by the painter and patriot Annetta Turrisi Colonna, a copy from Van Dyck from the first half of the 19th century, and “The Chariot of Santa Rosalia” by Enrico Lochi, oil on canvas from 1835, which celebrate the patron saint of the city .
Finally, “Piazza Pretoria” by Rocco Lentini, oil on canvas from 1878, which immortalises one of the symbolic places of the city, the fulcrum of the social and political life of Palermo, where the famous Renaissance fountain stands, a symbol of rebirth and civil regeneration.
This selection of masterpieces offers a privileged glimpse into the richness and importance of Palermo’s artistic heritage, a faithful reflection of its cultural identity and history.
The installation created in the “Pietro Scaglione” press room of Palazzo Palagonia aims to be an invitation to reflect on the social function of art, capable of describing the complexity of our community and stimulating constructive dialogue.
