African Art, 4,000 Visitors: “Engaging Children and Adults”

Patron Bruno Giglio: “We wanted a strong social focus.”
Meeting with Michele Serra on April 14, followed by pro-Africa associations

By Patrizia Soffientini

PIACENZA
The exhibition “Sguardi sull’Africa”, running until May 4 at Palazzo Gotico, has a distinctive feature compared to other cultural events: its strong social focus. It is not just a display of works—sculptures, paintings, photographs—that, despite their geographical distance, speak to us in many ways about our shared humanity. Its originality lies especially in the involvement of both children and adults, something that rarely happens.

We asked collector and patron Bruno Giglio, who together with his son Paolo is the driving force behind this (free) exhibition, for an assessment at the midpoint of the Easter opening. Notably, on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday the exhibition will be open from 10 AM to 7 PM.

Giglio, an initial balance is due. Has the effort to bring African visual culture closer to our city paid off? How many visitors have there been?

“I’ll be honest: at the beginning I didn’t think that, just one month after opening, the exhibition would attract around four thousand visitors. The theme is not easy and this is our first experience. However, the support of the municipal administration and the expertise of my collaborators—from my son Paolo to the scientific curator Samuele Menin, from graphic designer Lorenzo Aramini to the Milan-based architects Fosbury, who handled the setup—allowed us to create something that is appreciated every day by many visitors.”

From the start, you emphasized the social dimension of this event.

“Absolutely, and I’m particularly satisfied because the exhibition has truly taken on a social character, with many school classes and students visiting and taking part in workshops organized by ‘Arti e Pensieri,’ with Micaela Bertuzzi and Raimondo Sassi, who also run guided tours for adults on weekends. We are playing a social role, and I’m proud of it. Several groups of young people with disabilities, along with their caregivers, have visited, as well as elderly residents from a care home, who appreciated our setup. I don’t want to be misunderstood, but these presences really touched me—they show that there is still room for kindness and solidarity today, and I’m glad to be one of many witnesses to that.”

You also chose to include testimonial speakers, such as Quirico. Will there be more?

“Journalist Domenico Quirico drew a large audience, and I hope it will be just as numerous on April 14, when Michele Serra will speak about migrants and borders at Palazzo Gotico (at 5:30 PM). He is an important intellectual figure who has interpreted the country like few others. It wasn’t easy to secure his presence, but we succeeded.”

You also aimed to strengthen ties with pro-Africa associations and the many solidarity initiatives in Piacenza.

“We are working on that. Another important event is scheduled for April 23 (again at 5:30 PM), titled ‘Encounters with Africa,’ focusing on the experiences of Africa Mission, the Diocesan Mission Center, and the Catholic University, with Don Maurizio Noberini, Carlo Ruspantini, Professors Vincenzo Tabaglio and Adriano Bertoni, Don Giancarlo Dallospedale, and several journalists who have traveled in Africa. The discussion will mark the centenary of the birth of Don Vittorio Pastori and explore how Piacenza has engaged with Africa through the experiences of those who have lived in the most challenging countries of the continent.”

Any other initiatives planned through May?

“We are also developing a concert dedicated to West African musical traditions, featuring a supergroup led by Petit Solo Labate, a virtuoso of the balafon, a unique instrument from the xylophone family. In short, we decided to accompany the exhibition with side events to make it even more appealing and reach a wider audience. We don’t want to leave it standing alone—the more we bring it to life, the more people from Piacenza and beyond will have the opportunity to appreciate works by leading North African artists as well as emerging talents in Europe.”

Do you plan to take the exhibition elsewhere?

“This collection and passion began several years ago, and today both my son Paolo and I want to give it to the community through an exhibition that is, in some ways, unique—as Minister Giuli said at the opening, which he attended together with Minister Foti. We are currently in contact with the Ministry of Culture to see whether the exhibition could travel to other cities, particularly Rome. I hope so. In the meantime, my thanks go to all those who have visited it and those who will.”