The exhibition at the Riga City Hall is a creative retelling of the values of Europe. The project, originally promoted by the Italian MFA and Fondazione Torino Musei and organised in Latvia by the Embassy of Italy in Riga, is open for visitors until the end of January.
Press release
The exhibition Europa. Italian illustrators recount the Europe of peoples opened today at the Riga City Hall. The project is promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy and Torino Musei Foundation, in cooperation with the City of Turin, Piedmont Region and Palazzo Madama. It is organised in Riga by the Embassy of Italy and the Riga City Council.
Through the works of 16 internationally-renowned Italian illustrators, the exhibition is a creative retelling of the founding values of Europe: from freedom to democracy, from the rule of law to sustainability.
Artists and artwork on show: Matteo Berton, Palazzo Madama; Rita Petruccioli, Rome Treaties; Gio Quasirosso, Ventotene; Camilla Falsini, Freedom; Elisa Seitzinger, Human Dignity; Andrea Serio, Equality; Anna Parini, Democracy; Francesco Poroli, Rule of Law; Irene Rinaldi, Human Rights; Lucio Schiavon, Fraternity; Ale Giorgini, Work; Emiliano Ponzi, Culture; Bianca Bagnarelli, Peace; Marina Marcolin, Sustainability; Gianluca Folì, Science; Giulia Conoscenti, Inclusion.
The exhibition is open in Riga until 26 January 2024. The show is part of a wide international tour, with 42 exhibitions in 5 continents, organised under the supervision of the Italian MFA’s Directorate General for Public and Cultural Diplomacy.
The project was originally created in Turin in 2022 on the occasion of the closing event of the Italian Presidency of the Council of Europe. It now comes to Riga on the final month of the Latvian Presidency of the organisation.
“Our Europe is first and foremost unity in diversity. A community of nations acknowledging the value of peaceful co-existence of a variety of languages, sensitivities and values that are in constant dialogue with one another. In a not so distant past, these same differences were at the root of conflict, violence and injustice in Europe. Our common values of democracy and rule of law have turned them into sources of shared prosperity for all European citizens and a beacon of hope for the rest of the world. This exhibition is a reminder of this process” stresses Ambassador of Italy to Latvia Alessandro Monti, “and we are grateful to the Riga City Council to be our partner in this project. Its aim is celebrating the friendship between Italy and Latvia and stressing the importance of cities in the European intergation process”.
“Sixteen great Italian creatives narrating Europe’s path through values that need to be universal. Each has been chosen for his/her originality and uniqueness and because of the enormous potential of illustration. This project, already on show in 42 cities and 5 continents, emphasises how formidable this creative language is in reaching out to a wide public. It goes beyond the limits and borders of languages: illustration can be a cultural mediator, an enabler of cultural exchanges as it can express what languages cannot” explains Director of Palazzo Madama – City Museum of Ancient Art of Turin, Giovanni Carlo Federico Villa. “Europa is a silent narration, it needs no words: it is clear, bridge between content and appearance, ethics and aesthetics, communication and information – a magical combination between talent and responsibility”.
Where and when
The exhibition is open in the main foyer of the Riga City Council building in Rātslaukums 1. Visitors can access the exhibition free of charge and without advance booking. Opening hours: from Monday to Thursday 8:30-17:00, on Friday 8:30-16:00.
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