Sandokan exhibition at Reggia di Monza explores myth between history and imagination

The exhibition 'Sandokan. La Tigre ruggisce ancora' at the Reggia di Monza, curated by Francesco Aquilanti and Loretta Paderni, examines the enduring myth of Sandokan, the fictional pirate created by Emilio Salgari. First appearing in 1883 in the serial 'La Tigre della Malesia', Sandokan has remained a staple of Italian popular culture for nearly 150 years, crossing into comics, film, and television. The show juxtaposes ethnographic materials, such as a Dayak collection donated by Sir Charles Brooke to the King of Italy, with props from the 1970s TV series, costumes, weapons, books, illustrations, and archival documents. It highlights the character's ambivalence as both a ruthless pirate and a justice fighter, and his ability to adapt across media. The installation features original artworks by Hugo Pratt, manuscripts by Salgari, and immersive sensory elements like the sound of the ramsinga. Curators emphasize Sandokan as a persistent yet mutable myth, suspended between reality and imagination, and address themes of colonialism, identity, and freedom. The exhibition avoids a linear narrative, instead creating a stratified story that connects literature, cinema, television, and contemporary reinterpretations.