The Regional Gallery of Palazzo Bellomo in Syracuse opens its halls to Through the Collection. A New Look at the Bellomo Museum, a photographic exhibition promoted as part of the ministerial project Memory of the Time II: Archia da VAN - Toward Other Narratives, in collaboration with the MADE Program and theAcademy of Fine Arts of Syracuse. The exhibition will be on view from Dec. 10, 2025, to Feb. 1, 2026, with free admission, and will open at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10. The project aims to offer a new look at the museum and its collection by involving students from the Visual Arts, Design and Animation courses of the MADE Program in a photographic research journey. The proposal stems from the museum’s invitation to explore its spaces and works through a contemporary reading, capable of interweaving observation, interpretation and artistic restitution.
The students, coordinated by lecturer and photographer Giorgio Di Noto, developed an investigation that goes beyond the simple documentation of the works and architecture. The course focuses on light, recurring symbols and the materiality of environments, creating a dialogue between the layered histories of the Palace and the meaning these spaces can take on in the present. The work thus sits at the intersection of archive and artistic production, with the aim of making visible aspects of the museum that usually remain hidden. Alongside the photographs, the exhibition features a series of editorial publications created by the students under the supervision of editorial design teachers Leda Li Pira and Roberto Vito D’Amico. Each catalog offers a specific reading of the museum, calibrated to different audiences, from children to more experienced readers, with self-contained visual codes designed to facilitate intuitive and accessible enjoyment.
The visual communication of the exhibition is curated by students of the Visual Arts course, led by lecturer Barbara Virginia Tedeschi. The team designed original typefaces and created the coordinated image of the exhibition, including posters, brochures and graphic materials that accompany visitors along the exhibition route. Through the Collection is part of the Archia project, curated by VAN - Verso Altre Narrazioni on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the recognition of Syracuse and Pantalica as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The term Archia, from the Greek “to put in charge,” recalls the mythical figure of the city’s founder and symbolizes a new beginning: an invitation to rethink historical places and imagine new modes of storytelling. The project involved iconic places in the city, transforming historic buildings, neighborhoods, and archaeological and museum sites into spaces where memory and contemporaneity meet. The students’ approach to the Bellomo museum reflects this tension between past and present. The dialogue with the works and architecture allowed them to explore the heritage in a new perspective, reactivating sedimented meanings and histories. The result of the photographic research, combined with the editorial production and curated layout, returns an articulated interpretation of the museum as a layered body, traversed over time by different cultures and imaginaries.
The exhibition was created in collaboration with the management and staff of the Regional Gallery of Palazzo Bellomo. The participation of MADE Program students concerns the Animation, Visual Arts and Design courses, with contributions from: Akintola Christopher, Castellino Giulia, Ferrera Asia, Giunta Erika, Kartalov Volodymyr, Morello Naomi, Serpa Ilaria, Spedalotto Daniele, Stivala Ambra, Alcocer Saldaña Luz Amanda, Boledovičová Lea, Catanese Flavia, Kong Bridges, Lupos Christopher John, Patanè Benedetta Mariapia, Schwarm Ronja Carlotta, Shegai Ruslan, Tardonato Maria Alessandra, Avataneo Matteo, Calvo Gabriele, Castronovo Ivana, Coman Alexandru, Fisher Elena, Kartalova Yuliia, Khotulev Artem, Saad Noor, Saad Osama, Sahin Kazim Vefa, Sun Xijian, Mujeeb Rahiman Asim and Vitale Stefania Giulia.
The supervision of professors Giorgio Di Noto, Leda Li Pira, Roberto Vito D’Amico and Barbara Virginia Tedeschi guided the entire process, while the exhibition design was supervised by Niccolò Benetton, Roberta Esposito and Leonardo Scatà. The exhibition is produced and curated by the MADE Program in collaboration with Palazzo Bellomo and is part of the Archia project carried out by VAN - Verso Altre Narrazioni, funded as a Special Project by MiC, with the support of the City of Syracuse and the support of the Archaeological and Landscape Park of Syracuse, Eloro, Villa del Tellaro and Akrai. The Archia-related events are part of the calendar of celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO recognition of Syracuse and Pantalica, offering a contemporary and participatory perspective on the city’s cultural heritage.
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| Memory of the Time II: ARCHIA, new photography exhibition at Syracuse's Bellomo |
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