After 350 Years, Why We Still Do Exhibitions: A Reflection on Expositio Mundi in Macerata

In a reflective essay for Artribune, Elena Conenna argues for the enduring relevance of exhibitions by tracing their origins to Giuseppe Ghezzi (1634–1721), who organized a public display of private collections in Rome in 1676. She connects this historical moment to the contemporary exhibition 'Expositio Mundi' in Macerata, held at the 18th-century Palazzo Buonaccorsi with additional sites at the Sferisterio and Biblioteca Mozzi Borgetti. The show juxtaposes contemporary art with historical works, including a Carlo Crivelli Madonna and Child (c. 1470), and features artists such as Adelaide Cioni, Catherine Biocca, Michele Ciacciofera, Fabrizio Cotognini, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, and Maurizio Nannucci. Conenna describes the exhibition as a 'machine for producing connections,' where encounters with art lead to broader reflections on local history, the papacy, and even ecumenism. She recounts a personal anecdote about meeting a bishop at the show and later dining at Osteria dei Fiori, a restaurant praised by the New York Times and visited by Stanley Tucci. The essay concludes that a successful exhibition expands the 'cognitive patrimony' of its viewers, affirming the continued purpose of such events after 350 years.