Elisa Caldana's 'The Falcon of Karachi' at MACTE Termoli Uses the Laggar Falcon as a Metaphor for Inequality

Elisa Caldana's solo exhibition 'Il Falco di Karachi' at the Museo MACTE in Termoli uses the endangered Laggar falcon as a metaphor for social inequality and discrimination. The project, developed over two years with Italian and Pakistani falconers, was produced under the Italian Council 2023 program. The exhibition features a two-channel video installation shot on 16mm film, recreating a Karachi courtyard. An installation 'Untitled 2025' replicates the barred window wall of falconer Salman Ali's house, whose leather jesses used in training over 300 falcons are displayed. Three textile works 'Bezubaan Janwar/Voiceless Animal' use natural and recycled fibers to evoke fragility and camouflage. 'Falcon Heads' sculptures in materials alluding to gold, silver, and bronze critique how value is assigned based on species or social status. The exhibition closes with 'Untitled (Released)', a bronze cast of a falcon about to take flight, symbolizing liberation. Caldana, who spent three months in Pakistan, aimed to reverse perspectives, making the falcon the subject rather than object of the show. Curated by Caterina Riva, the display is designed to evoke a Karachi courtyard.