Ten Italian Artists Address Bologna's Historical Traumas at Villa delle Rose

The exhibition 'Le ferite di Bologna' (The Wounds of Bologna) at Villa delle Rose presents works by ten Italian artists, each confronting a specific historical trauma of the city. Curated by Ludovico Pratesi, Marco Bassan, and Chiara Lorenzetti (Spazio Taverna) for the Settore Musei Civici del Comune di Bologna, the show runs from June 20 to June 28, 2026. All works are executed on handmade Amatruda paper, symbolizing the social fabric. The chronological journey begins with Giulia Poppi's 'Bomba' addressing the 1321 Studium revolt, followed by Francis Offman's 'Senza titolo' on the 1507 Guasto dei Bentivoglio. Adelaide Cioni's 'Contro la vigliaccheria squadrista (Punti di riferimento)' tackles the 1920 fascist assault on Palazzo d'Accursio. Francesca Grilli's '1/1 – Many hands' incorporates her mother's handprint and the Resistance star to evoke the 1943-1945 Resistance. Italo Zuffi's 'Gli astanti' documents the 1974 Italicus train bombing. Luca Bertolo's 'San Sebastiano' pierces the paper with arrows for the 1977 death of Francesco Lorusso. Tommaso Silvestroni's 'Ur non è un sogno' investigates the 1980 Bologna station massacre. Flavio Favelli's 'Voli Nazionali' uses a 1980 flight schedule cover for the Ustica disaster. David Casini's 'Tutto il resto è relativo' references the Banda della Uno Bianca crimes of the 1990s. Rachele Maistrello's 'Every Act of Mending Requires a Wound' overlays surgical images for the 2002 assassination of Marco Biagi.