Le Fabbriche: New Cultural Hub Opens in Agrigento with Contemporary Art Show

On December 7, 2023, the former Fabbriche Chiaramontane in Agrigento reopen as Le Fabbriche, a multidisciplinary cultural hub managed by the Fondazione Orestiadi di Gibellina for five years. The 14th-century complex, built by Federico Chiaramonte, was previously home to the Associazione Amici della Pittura siciliana dell'Ottocento until 2017. The new project is a collaboration between the Parco archeologico e Paesaggistico della Valle dei Templi, the Agrigento municipality, and the Fondazione Orestiadi. Director Beniamino Biondi, a writer and film critic, will lead the space. The inaugural exhibition, 'Trame Mediterranee,' curated by Enzo Fiammetta, runs until February 25, 2024, featuring works from the Fondazione's collection including pieces by Carla Accardi, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Pietro Consagra, Khaled Ben Slimane, Lisa Seror, Meyra Yedidsion, Hakim Abbaci, Amar Briki, Khoraichi, Rita Ernst, Mustafa Sabbagh, Susan Kleinberg, Alfonso Leto, Vito Bongiorno, Francesco Impellizzeri, Innocente, Alfredo Romano, Giusto Sucato, and a sketch by Mimmo Paladino. The exhibition also includes the Biblioteca arabo-sicula installation by Stalker and De Luca. Le Fabbriche aims to become a key venue for Agrigento's tenure as Italian Capital of Culture 2025, hosting events across visual arts, cinema, theater, poetry, philosophy, and music. Fondazione Orestiadi President Calogero Pumilia emphasized the hub's role in connecting the city with contemporary culture and the Mediterranean.