Gibellina Named Italy's First Capital of Contemporary Art for 2026
In a recent announcement by Francesco Paolo Scarpinato, Gibellina, Sicily, has been designated as Italy's inaugural Capitale italiana dell'Arte Contemporanea for the year 2026. The initiative, backed by €3 million, will kick off with the program "Portami il futuro" on January 15–16, coinciding with the anniversary of the 1968 earthquake. The artistic direction will be led by Andrea Cusumano, alongside co-curators Cristina Costanzo and Enzo Fiammetta, and project coordinator Antonio Leone, who will manage a full year of exhibitions, performances, and educational activities. Notable artists such as Masbedo, Adrian Paci, Carla Accardi, and Mona Hatoum will be featured, with residencies planned at the former church of Gesù e Maria, hosting artists like Lucia Veronesi and Flavio Favelli. Community involvement will include the Stalker collective and others, utilizing venues like Palazzo di Lorenzo and Teatro by Pietro Consagra.
Key facts
- Gibellina is Italy's first Capitale italiana dell'Arte Contemporanea for 2026.
- The program Portami il futuro launches January 15–16, 2026, the anniversary of the 1968 earthquake.
- Artistic director Andrea Cusumano leads the program with co-curators Cristina Costanzo and Enzo Fiammetta.
- The Sicily Region supports the initiative with €3 million.
- Exhibitions include works by Masbedo, Adrian Paci, Carla Accardi, Letizia Battaglia, and Mona Hatoum among others.
- Domestic Displacement exhibition features 14 international artists including William Kentridge and Shirin Neshat.
- Residencies are held at the former church of Gesù e Maria and Fondazione Orestiadi.
- The Grande Cretto by Alberto Burri is among the reactivated venues.
Entities
Artists
- Andrea Cusumano
- Cristina Costanzo
- Enzo Fiammetta
- Antonio Leone
- Antonella Corrao
- Arianna Catania
- Alfio Scuderi
- Giuseppe Maiorana
- Antonia Alampi
- Achille Bonito Oliva
- Marco Bazzini
- Michele Cometa
- Hedwig Fijen
- Claudio Gulli
- Teresa Macrì
- Maurizio Oddo
- Masbedo
- Adrian Paci
- Pietro Consagra
- Carla Accardi
- Letizia Battaglia
- Renata Boero
- Isabella Ducrot
- Nanda Vigo
- Philippe Berson
- Alighiero Boetti
- Giulio Turcato
- Mona Hatoum
- William Kentridge
- Shirin Neshat
- Anna Maria Maiolino
- Amalia Pica
- Regina José Galindo
- Santiago Sierra
- Zehra Doğan
- María Magdalena Campos Pons
- Holly Stevenson
- Paolo Icaro
- Olu Oguibe
- Mustafa Sabbagh
- Akram Zaatari
- Richard Long
- Liu Bolin
- Giuseppe Ippolito
- Alberto Burri
- Lucia Veronesi
- Flavio Favelli
- Sisley Xhafa
- Giorgio Andreotta Calò
- Pietro Fortuna
- Jonida Xherri
- Khaled Ben Slimane
- Sonia Besada
- Lucio La Pietra
- Igor Grubic
- Francesco Lauretta
- Luigi Presicce
- Virgilio Sieni
- Alberto Nicolino
- Francesco Venezia
- Ludovico Quaroni
- Luisa Anversa
- Franco Purini
- Laura Thermes
- Ludovico Corrao
- Peppe Morra
- Galvagno family
Institutions
- Regione Sicilia
- Ministero della Cultura
- Fondazione Orestiadi
- Riso-Museo d'arte moderna e contemporanea di Palermo
- Elenka
- Zoukak Theatre
- Stalker collective
- MAC Ludovico Corrao
- Artribune
Locations
- Gibellina
- Trapani
- Sicily
- Italy
- Rome
- Belice Valley
- Palermo
- L'Aquila
- Ghana
- Paris