Art as Identity: Three Artists Explore Identity and Diversity Between Italy and Libya

The Italian Consulate in Benghazi has organized the exhibition 'Art as Identity,' curated by Ludovico Pratesi, running from October 2023 to November 4, 2023, before moving to the Italian Embassy in Tripoli in early 2024. The show features three women artists—Shefa Salem (born 1996, Benghazi), Adelita Husni-Bey (born 1985, Benghazi), and Elena Mazzi (born 1984, Reggio Emilia, Italy)—who each address the question: 'How does art define your identity?' Salem's hyperrealist paintings reinterpret key moments of ancient Libyan history through mythology. Husni-Bey's sociological photographs document Libyan landscapes, including classical and contemporary ruins, taken in 2009 before the revolution. Mazzi investigates the conflict between humans, nature, and culture in the Anthropocene, focusing on cultural and natural heritage. The exhibition aims to foster intercultural dialogue and reflects on concepts of identity, diversity, and the reactivation of Genius Loci.