Gibellina 50 Years After: Exhibition in Palermo Remembers the Earthquake and Artistic Rebirth

At Palazzo Sant'Elia in Palermo, an exhibition commemorates the 50th anniversary of the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck the Belice Valley on January 15, 1968. The quake, which lasted 12 seconds, wreaked havoc in towns across Agrigento, Trapani, and Palermo, resulting in hundreds of fatalities, thousands of injuries, and the displacement of approximately 90,000 individuals. Writer Danilo Dolci voiced concerns over the slow bureaucratic response to aid efforts. Mayor Ludovico Corrao spearheaded the reconstruction of Gibellina Nuova, collaborating with artists like Carla Accardi and Alberto Burri, whose Cretto di Gibellina was finalized in 2015. The exhibition features works by Mustafa Sabbagh, Susan Kleinberg, and Adrian Paci, with backing from various institutions. After the exhibition, a reconstructed installation, Pausa Sismica by Bigert & Bergström, will be situated at the entrance of Gibellina.