Panorama at Procida: A Critical Report on ITALICS' Island Takeover

The ITALICS consortium, comprising sixty leading Italian galleries, launched its first group exhibition Panorama on the island of Procida, the 2022 Italian Capital of Culture. Curated by Vincenzo de Bellis, the show scattered works across the island, including pieces by Chen Zhen (courtesy Galleria Continua), Luca Francesconi (courtesy Galleria Umberto di Marino), Adrian Paci (courtesy kaufmann repetto), Giovanni Anselmo (courtesy Tucci Russo Studio), Ibrahim Mahama (courtesy Apalazzo Gallery), Luigi Ontani (courtesy Galleria dello Scudo), Daniel Buren (courtesy Galleria Massimo Minini), Giulia Cenci (courtesy SpazioA), Nate Lowman (courtesy MASSIMODECARLO), and Francesco Simeti (courtesy Francesca Minini). The exhibition aimed to promote Italian beauty and culture across the territory, but the author, Stefano Cavaliero, critiques it as a superficial, tourist-oriented event that exoticizes the South. He notes that the abandoned Palazzo d'Avalos prison remained closed, limiting access to works inside. Cavaliero argues that Panorama, despite its stated goals, fails to create lasting ties with the local community, leaving only nostalgia. He contrasts the show's Apollonian narrative with the darker, more complex realities of Southern Italy, referencing artists like Salvator Rosa, Annibale Ruccello, and Enzo Moscato. The article was written as part of a Critical Writing course at NABA – Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti.