Elena Bellantoni's Factory Performance at Fondazione Dino Zoli

Elena Bellantoni's exhibition 'Se ci fosse luce sarebbe bellissimo' at Fondazione Dino Zoli in Forlì transforms the Dino Zoli Textile factory into a stage for collective body expression. The show includes a video, two neon works, fourteen tunic dresses, six ink drawings with collage, and four lightboxes. Bellantoni, winner of the 2020 Fondazione Dino Zoli special prize, conducted a year-long workshop in 2022 with factory workers exploring habitus—both clothing and behavior. Her cine-performative practice draws from silent cinema (Buster Keaton) and Pina Bausch's choreography. The video features workers shedding anonymity through sculptural tunics (pink and blue), subverting uniform logic into collective dance. Two neon texts reference Aldo Moro's last letter (blue) and Francesco Guccini's post-war reflection (red), evoking Emilia-Romagna's resilience after floods and pandemic. Bellantoni's earlier work 'On the breadline' (2018 Italian Council winner) addressed factory as soul, citing Simone Weil. The exhibition runs at Fondazione Dino Zoli, curated by Nadia Stefanel.