Vanessa Beecroft, Stefano Arienti, Mariella Bettineschi, Michele Ciacciofera, Jan Fabre, Giuseppe Gallo, Goldschmied & Chiari, Debora Hirsch, Ugo La Pietra, Maurizio Orrico, Alfredo Pirri, Luigi Presicce, Giuseppe Stampone, Grazia Toderi, Vedovamazzei and Michelangelo Pistoletto: these are the sixteen artists who have created a series of tapestries on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of Cosenza Cathedral. The works, conveying each artist’s individual artistic sensitivity, will be displayed in the nave of the cathedral, which over time has become a cultural as well as spiritual centre, from Tuesday 4 October. As stated by the curator of the exhibition Giacinto Di Pietrantonio, they are the result of the authors’ free interpretation of religious themes. The purposely-made tapestries, measuring 400 x 140 cm, were made at the Desta textile workshops, a Calabrian company specialised in the production of sacred vestments and furnishings.

Michelangelo Pistoletto’s work, entitled The Glory of Paradise, Third Paradise (in the cover image and in the photos above), depicts his iconic sign-symbol. The idea for the exhibition, supported by Regione Calabria and coordinated by the association 8centoCosenza aps, came from the Riccardo Misasi Foundation “Ereditare la Terra” (Inheriting the earth), which also took care of the organisational aspects by combining artistic and craftsmanship management. “The event,” Giacinto Di Pietrantonio emphasised in the dedicated press note, “constitutes a unicum in the history of the relationship between religion and contemporary art, and can also be read as a response to the invitation Paul VI addressed to creatives at the close of the Second Vatican Council in 1965 suggesting a return to an alliance between artists and the Church, as it had been for over a millennium”.

Photo by Angelo Gallo.

We thank Rebirth/Third Paradise ambassadress Marilena Morabito di Rende for her

collaboration.