Stills of Peace and Everyday Life Ed. XIII – Italy and Argentina: Global Identity
Stills of Peace and Everyday Life: Italy and Argentina – Global Identity, now in its thirteenth edition, presents itself as a platform for research and dialogue dedicated to the exploration of contemporary identity processes. The exhibition project brings together artistic and cultural experiences from diverse contexts, highlighting how identity is shaped through layers of histories, memories, and relationships. In today’s world, marked by intense migratory flows, cultural hybridization, climate crises, and ongoing conflicts, identity emerges as an open and evolving process. The festival therefore invites audiences to reflect on how identities are continuously redefined in everyday life, becoming spaces of negotiation, resistance, and creativity, capable of generating unexpected connections and shared perspectives in an increasingly interconnected world.
The official opening of the festival took place in the Cloister of the Ducal Palace of the Acquaviva Dukes in Atri, in the presence of numerous institutional representatives and leading figures from the cultural sector. Following the official welcome addresses, the exhibitions hosted in the evocative Cisterns of Palazzo Acquaviva were inaugurated.
Global Identity, curated by Giovanna Dello Iacono and Maria Letizia Paiato, brings into dialogue the works of Nicola Samorì and Luciana Lamothe. Although formally and visually distant, with radically different artistic languages, the two artists create an intense exchange on the concept of individual and collective identity. Within the timeless space of the Cisterns, where the past continues to converse with the present, their works invite visitors to reflect on the representation of the human being and the transformations of contemporary society.
Also hosted in the Cisterns is Stills of Peace for Young, the section dedicated to artists under the age of 35, curated by Eva Comuzzi and Giovanna Dello Iacono. This year’s featured artists are Satya Forte, Agustina Leal, Gianlorenzo Nardi, La Porkeria Mala, and Maria Positano, whose works explore the theme of Global Identity through reflections on the body, landscape, and the relationship between identity and place. Their works reveal how places contribute to shaping people and, at the same time, how experiences of migration, encounter, and transformation continually redefine the ways in which we inhabit the world, highlighting the deep historical and cultural ties between Italy and Argentina.
The documentary exhibition Rodolfo Zanni. Notes from Oblivion, curated by Giuseppe Zanni, also opened to the public on the first floor of Palazzo Acquaviva. The exhibition retraces the life and work of the composer from Atri, Rodolfo Zanni (1901–1927), through documents, photographs, and musical recordings that restore the significance of his remarkable artistic journey between Italy and Argentina, celebrating the profound historical and cultural relationship between the two countries.
The Marathon of Contemporary Art then continued in Pescara with the opening of the photographic exhibition The Same, the Different, curated by Paolo Dell’Elce, featuring works by María Zorzon and Armando Di Antonio. Through photography, the two artists portray the human figure as an expression of both individual and collective experiences, addressing themes such as equality, diversity, migration, and belonging. Their images capture the complexity of contemporary identities and the delicate balance experienced by those who shape their lives across places, cultures, and new opportunities.
The exhibitions in Atri and Pescara will remain open until 13 September 2026. Towards the end of the festival, on 5 September, the exhibition Oh Mother! by artist Martina Marini Misterioso will open at the Church of Sant’Anna in Pescara. Curated by Giovanna Dello Iacono and Maria Letizia Paiato, in collaboration with YAG/garage, it will represent the concluding chapter of this year’s exhibition programme and will remain on view until 3 October 2026.
On Monday, 6 July, the Cloister of Palazzo Acquaviva also hosted the opening of Stills Story, the literary programme curated by Giuliana De Petris. The series was inaugurated with the presentation of Sant’Uffizio della Memoria by Argentine writer Mempo Giardinelli (next events: 13 and 27 July, 3 August at 6:00 p.m.), alongside the first screening of Cine Argentina, the film programme curated by Argentine director Martina Juncadella, featuring contemporary Argentine cinema in the original language with Italian subtitles (next screenings: 13 and 27 July; 3, 24 and 31 August at 9:00 p.m.).
The thirteenth edition of Stills of Peace and Everyday Life will continue throughout the summer with exhibitions, talks, film screenings, and events dedicated to fostering dialogue between Italy and Argentina, reaffirming the mission of Fondazione ARIA to promote contemporary art as a space for exchange, knowledge, and the creation of new cultural relationships.
The complete festival programme, including the full calendar of events and exhibition opening hours, is available on the official website: www.stillsofpeace.com