Emilio Isgrò Retrospective Opens at New MACC Museum in Scicli

The Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Scicli (MACC) opened in May 2025 with a major retrospective of Emilio Isgrò, curated by Bruno Corà and Marco Bazzini. The exhibition, titled 'L’Opera delle formiche,' spans the artist’s career from the 1960s to recent works, including his iconic cancellature (erasures) on newspapers, books, encyclopedias, maps, and musical scores. A monumental installation 'Non uccidere,' created with architect Mario Botta and originally presented at MAXXI in 2023 for the 75th anniversary of the Italian Constitution, stands in the museum’s square. The museum is housed in an 18th-century former convent restored in 2017. Isgrò’s practice explores themes of visibility and invisibility, language and erasure, with works such as 'Lettera S tratta dal nome Basilio' (1972), 'Fisherman' (2019-23), 'Il mare di Odisseo,' 'Casta Diva' (2022), and the 2025 'Arazzo sciclitano,' a large erased map of Sicily. The exhibition also features a poem by Isgrò titled 'Ti amo con i semi' (2024) dedicated to Scicli, and baskets of carob pods painted gold as allegories of prosperity. Isgrò stated that the exhibition represents 'a sign of a Sicily faithful to itself that knows when it is time to change.'