A multi-section exhibition on ancient Puglia – “APULIA. Mystères des Pouilles entre terre, pierres et mer” opened on 5 July 2022 and will be open to the public until 28 September. The exhibition is hosted by the Italian Cultural Institute in Paris. With several finding on display for the first time, it will give visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in the history of this exceptional, richly diverse Italian region. The initiative was curated by Francesca Marocchino.
The exhibition begins with an archaeological section (IV-III century B.C.) showing the refined sophistication of this civilisation, the importance given to the cult of the dead, and the distinctively Apulian style of shaping and painting clay into iconic sculptural statuettes — techniques that reached their peak in this period. It continues with the mediaeval section (VIII-XIII century A.D.), which includes a video installation on the region’s cave villages and churches. In the Institute’s garden a “Master waller” will build a drystone wall that reflects the low walls snaking between the region’s ancient olive groves and are a distinctive feature of the Apulian landscape. Drystone walling is an age-old building technique still used today to create the famous Trulli. The exhibition concludes with a show featuring the work of two leading contemporary artists, Francesco Schiavulli and Lino Sivilli.
