Claudio Ballestracci's Exhibition Design for Domenico Rambelli at Pescherie della Rocca

Claudio Ballestracci, a multifaceted artist known for his poetic installations and material sensitivity, designed the exhibition of Domenico Rambelli's drawings for the Francesco Baracca monument at Pescherie della Rocca in Lugo di Romagna. The show, held from March 18 to April 23, 2017, was part of a series across Brisighella, Faenza, and Lugo. Ballestracci's mise en espace used a wooden lattice evoking the scaffolding from 1936 photographs, with drawings hung on oxidized zinc sheets with wing nuts, referencing aeronautical aesthetics. Explanatory panels lined the walls. The design balanced the fragility of the works, the sculptor's architectural sense, and the site's history. Ballestracci emphasized listening to the space as an ethical act before aesthetic expression. Rambelli (1886–1972) was a rare Italian sculptor influenced by German Expressionism, notably Ernst Barlach and Käthe Kollwitz, blending it with Italian plastic values. His monuments in Romagna squares recall 20th-century wars with synthetic, architectural physicality. Antonio Paolucci's catalog preface highlighted Rambelli's "genius of caricature" and anamorphosis as tools for truth. Ballestracci's other projects include Casa Panzini in Bellaria and Museo Baracca in Lugo.