Flavio Favelli's '500' Mural in Gibellina Confronts Currency and Memory

Flavio Favelli will create a mural titled '500' in Gibellina, Italy, as part of the city's year as Italian Capital of Contemporary Art. Curated by Cristina Costanzo, the work will be unveiled on July 4, 2026, following an artist residency. The mural, located in a municipal area near Piazza 15 Gennaio, depicts the recto and verso of the 500,000 lire and 500 euro banknotes. The 500,000 lire note, a rare numismatic masterpiece featuring Raphael's 'School of Athens' and 'Triumph of Galatea,' contrasts with the 500 euro note, which shows fictional contemporary architecture and a cable-stayed bridge. Favelli, born in Florence in 1967, has explored mural painting since 2012, using reproduction as a critical tool. The work questions the relationship between art and money, trust and power, and symbolic versus material value. Gibellina, rebuilt after the 1968 Belice earthquake, serves as a unique laboratory for public art and collective memory.