Gibellina's Embroidered Prisenti Tradition Gets a Diffuse Exhibition
'I Prisenti di Gibellina' will debut on May 10, 2025, at the Museo delle Trame Mediterranee, with curation by Cristina Costanzo and Enzo Fiammetta. The exhibition will take place in various locations, including the Museo delle Trame Mediterranee, MAC – Museo d'Arte Contemporanea 'Ludovico Corrao', Belìce/EpiCentro della Memoria Viva, and Chiesa Madre di Gibellina. The Prisenti, embroidered textiles presented during the Santissimo Crocifisso feast, are celebrated yearly on the second Sunday of May and every five years during the Festa ranni. The oldest known Prisenti dates back to the 18th century. Following the 1968 earthquake, Ludovico Corrao revitalized this tradition in the 1980s, inspiring artists like Michele Canzoneri and Alighiero Boetti to create new designs. In 2026, Gibellina will serve as the Italian Capital of Contemporary Art, with a new Prisenti performance scheduled for August.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'I Prisenti di Gibellina' opens May 10, 2025 at Museo delle Trame Mediterranee.
- Curated by Cristina Costanzo and Enzo Fiammetta.
- Venues: Museo delle Trame Mediterranee, MAC 'Ludovico Corrao', Belìce/EpiCentro della Memoria Viva, Chiesa Madre di Gibellina.
- Prisenti are embroidered cloths tied to the feast of Santissimo Crocifisso.
- Oldest known piece: 18th-century Prisenti from the Congregation of S.S. Crocifisso.
- Tradition revived in 1980s by Ludovico Corrao with women embroiderers cooperative.
- Artists who designed Prisenti: Canzoneri, Consagra, Boetti, Burhan, Accardi, Santomaso, Turcato, Ciussi, Ducrot, Boero, Mahdaoui, Rotelli, Gandolfo David.
- Collection shown at 1993 Venice Biennale Italian Pavilion and 2016–2017 at Real Albergo dei Poveri, Palermo.
- Gibellina is Italian Capital of Contemporary Art 2026.
- New Prisenti with performance by Giorgio Andreotta Calò planned for August 2026; collaborations with Quadriennale di Roma.
Entities
Artists
- Cristina Costanzo
- Enzo Fiammetta
- Ludovico Corrao
- Michele Canzoneri
- Pietro Consagra
- Alighiero Boetti
- Sami Burhan
- Carla Accardi
- Giuseppe Santomaso
- Giulio Turcato
- Carlo Ciussi
- Isabella Ducrot
- Renata Boero
- Nja Mahdaoui
- Marco Nereo Rotelli
- Gabriele Gandolfo David
- Achille Bonito Oliva
- Giorgio Andreotta Calò
Institutions
- Museo delle Trame Mediterranee
- Fondazione Orestiadi
- MAC – Museo d’Arte Contemporanea 'Ludovico Corrao'
- Belìce/EpiCentro della Memoria Viva
- Chiesa Madre di Gibellina
- Congregazione del S.S. Crocifisso
- Quadriennale di Roma
- Biennale d’Arte di Venezia
- Real Albergo dei Poveri di Palermo
Locations
- Gibellina
- Italy
- Palermo
- Venice