The thirteenth edition of ‘Stills of Peace and Everyday Life – Italy and Argentina: Global Identity’, the international exhibition organised by the ARIA Foundation in collaboration with Atri Town Council, has officially opened to a large audience and will run until 13 September in Atri and Pescara.
‘Stills of Peace and Everyday Life: Italy and Argentina: Global Identity’, now in its thirteenth edition, serves as a space for exploration and dialogue dedicated to contemporary processes of identity formation. The exhibition project brings together artistic and cultural experiences from different contexts, highlighting how identity is constructed through layers of stories, memories and relationships. In the current context, marked by intense migratory flows, phenomena of cultural hybridisation, climate crises and persistent conflicts, identity emerges as an open and evolving process. The exhibition thus invites reflection on how identities are continually redefined in everyday life, becoming spaces for negotiation, resistance and creativity, capable of generating unexpected connections and shared perspectives in an increasingly interconnected world.
The official opening of the exhibition took place in the Cloister of the Ducal Palace of the Dukes of Acquaviva in Atri, attended by numerous representatives from institutions and the cultural sector. Following the official 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 together the works of Nicola Samorì and Luciana Lamothe. Formally and visually distinct, and radically different in their expressive language, the two artists engage in an intense dialogue on the concept of individual and collective identity. In the timeless space of the Cisterns, where the past continues to engage with the present, their works invite visitors to reflect on the representation of the human being and on the transformations of the contemporary world.
Also at the Cisterne is ‘Stills of Peace for Young’, the section dedicated to artists under 35, curated by Eva Comuzzi and Giovanna Dello Iacono. The protagonists of this edition are Satya Forte, Agustina Leal, Gianlorenzo Nardi, La Porkeria Mala and Maria Positano, who address the theme of Global Identity through reflections on the body, the landscape and the relationships between identity and territory. Their works illustrate how places help to define people and, at the same time, how experiences of migration, encounter and transformation continually reshape the way we inhabit the world, highlighting the deep historical and cultural bond between Italy and Argentina.
The documentary exhibition *Rodolfo Zanni. Notes from Oblivion*, hosted on the first floor of Palazzo Acquaviva and curated by Giuseppe Zanni, has also opened to the public. The exhibition traces the life and work of the Atri-born composer Rodolfo Zanni (1901–1927) through documents, images and musical recordings that convey the significance of his intense artistic journey spanning Italy and Argentina, celebrating the deep historical and cultural ties between the two countries.
The ‘Maratona del Contemporaneo’ then continued in Pescara with the opening of the photographic exhibition *L’uguale, il diverso* (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 individual and collective experiences, addressing themes such as equality, diversity, migration and belonging.
The images capture the complexity of contemporary identities and the delicate balance of those who forge their own path between places, cultures and new possibilities for life.
The exhibitions in Atri and Pescara will be open to the public until 13 September 2026. At the end of the festival, on 5 September, the exhibition *Oh madre!* by the artist Martina Marini Misterioso will open. Hosted in the Church of Sant’Anna in Pescara and curated by Giovanna Dello Iacono and Maria Letizia Paiato, in collaboration with YAG/garage, it will mark the conclusion of this year’s exhibition programme. It will be open to the public until 3 October 2026.
In the Cloister of Palazzo Acquaviva, Monday 6 July also saw the launch of *Stills Story*, the literary series curated by Giuliana De Petris, which opened with the presentation of the book Sant’Uffizio della Memoria by the Argentine writer Mempo Giardinelli (upcoming events: 13 and 27 July / 3 August at 6.00 pm), and the first screening of *Cine Argentina*, the film series curated by the Argentine director Martina Juncadella, which features screenings in the original language with Italian subtitles dedicated to contemporary Argentine cinema (upcoming screenings: 13 and 27 July / 3, 24 and 31 August at 9.00 pm).
The 13th edition of Stills of Peace and Everyday Life will continue throughout the summer with exhibitions, talks, screenings and events dedicated to dialogue between Italy and Argentina, reaffirming the ARIA Foundation’s commitment to promoting contemporary art as a space for exchange, understanding and the forging of new cultural relationships.
Stills of Peace and Everyday Life – Italy and Argentina: Global Identity, an international exhibition promoted by the ARIA Foundation in collaboration with Atri Town Council, running until 13 September 2026, in Atri and Pescara. Please visit here the website for the updated program of events
images: (cover 1) Luciana Lamothe,«Ultimo refugio», 2026, ph: Paolo Dell’Elce (2-4) Still of Peace and Everyday Life, Exhibition view (3) Nicola Samorì, Flora (5) Luciana Lamothe, «Plancha», 2024 (6) María Zorzon, Diego Bianchi, «con su nieta y el loro», Col.Avellaneda 1999 (7) Satya Forte, «Paesaggio diviso» (8) Gianlorenzo Nardi, «Backpack»
