Monumenta: Arte in cantiere brings Italian sculpture to Puglia restoration sites

The Italian Ministry of Culture's regional secretariat for Puglia, led by Roberto Begnini and curated by Roberta Semeraro, has launched Monumenta. Arte in cantiere, a diffuse exhibition placing six monumental sculptures by 20th-century Italian artists at active restoration sites across Puglia. Running until February, the project follows a summer public art initiative at Bari's Cittadella della Cultura. Works include Jannis Kounellis's Senza titolo (2010) at the Cittadella, Luciano Minguzzi's Sei personaggi n. 2 (1959) at Bari's Cathedral of San Sabino and Church of San Giacomo, Giò Pomodoro's Colloquio col figlio (1974) at the Teatro Margherita, Venanzo Crocetti's Giovane cavaliere della Pace (1987) at Canosa di Puglia's Cathedral of San Sabino, Costantino Nivola's Donna (1995) at Galatone's Santuario del Ss. Crocifisso della Pietà, and Mauro Staccioli's Senza titolo (Ellisse verticale) (2013) at Sant'Agata di Puglia's Castello Imperiale. The artworks were chosen for historical, material, or spiritual ties to their temporary sites. Restoration projects range from structural and seismic consolidation to decorative surface work, with the Teatro Margherita nearing completion after a 2011 museum conversion plan. The regional secretariat oversees about 180 interventions worth over €100 million. The exhibition aims to reframe construction sites as opportunities for urban regeneration and cultural identity preservation, fostering public patience with restoration inconveniences.