Contemporary votive offerings on display at Giovanni Bonelli's in Milan

Galleria Giovanni Bonelli is hosting the exhibition Per Grazia Ricevuta (For Grace Received), curated by Alberto Mattia Martini, at its headquarters on Via Lambertenghi in Milan until July 27. This group exhibition explores and reinterprets the theme of ex votos in a contemporary context, relating history and present, tradition and innovation. Ex votos, mysterious and fascinating objects according to Didi-Huberman, are tangible witnesses of human experiences of gratitude, protection, miracle and survival. The exhibition aims to offer an original perspective on these objects steeped in history and spirituality through the work of various artists whose styles and languages range from painting to sculpture.

Per Grazia Ricevuta takes the form of a reflection on the relationship between tradition and innovation, the sacred and the profane, the tangible and the transcendent. Contemporary votive offerings retain their symbolic value, but move from their religious roots to embrace a more secular and universal perspective. As curator Alberto Mattia Martini states, “In the exhibition, ancient tradition has merged with new languages and forms of contemporary artistic reflection and expression, allowing the creation of works inspired not only by the concept of devotion, but exploring broader themes, such as identity, politics, society and the environment. The votive object from matter, becomes an emblem of the relationship with other dimensions and addresses articulated and delicate issues such as life, illness, death or rebirth, from both universal and individual perspectives: a symbol that becomes a means of expressing universal emotions or individual narratives. The exhibition Per Grazia Ricevuta in its contemporary ’revelation’ represents a bridge between the past and the present, between tradition and innovation; it interprets a symbolic expression that is the manifestation of our continuous and constant quest to succeed in giving meaning and thus hope to existence.”

The layout of the exhibition aims to emphasize the ideas that animate it, evoking the traditional way in which votive offerings are usually placed in churches. The composition thus recalls the atmosphere of places of worship, where allegorical artifacts create an organic accumulation and temporal layering. Votive elements of thanksgiving and devotion overlap, with the idea of creating a complex dialogue. The visitor is thus immersed in an experience that invites reflection and contemplation. In this context, the ex voto becomes a medium through which artists explore relationships with the sacred, fortune and fate. The exhibition offers a reflection on the human condition and the search for solace and hope.

On display are works by Guido Airoldi, Maddalena Ambrosio, Stefano Arienti, Gabriele Arruzzo, Yuval Avital, Mattia Barbieri, Mirko Baricchi, Matteo Basilè, Matteo Bergamasco, Alessandro Bergonzoni, Thomas Berra, Bertozzi&Casoni, Andrea Bianconi, Lorenzo Brivio, Nicolò Bruno, Michele Bubacco, Luca Caccioni, Chiara Calore, Anna Capolupo, Felipe Cardeña, Nicola Caredda, Linda Carrara, Valeria Carrieri, Antonio Catelani, Andrea Chiesi, Marco Cingolani, Gianluigi Colin, Giacomo Cossio, Fabrizio Cotognini, Rudy Cremonini, Vanni Cuoghi, Sabrina D’Alessandro, Aldo Damioli, Alberto De Braud, Leonida De Filippi, Francesco De Grandi, Francesco De Molfetta, Silvano De Pietri, Marta Dell’Angelo, Mario Dellavedova, Aron Demetz, Marco Demis, Pino Deodato, Nicola Di Caprio, Fulvio Di Piazza, Roberto Dolzanelli, Tamara Ferioli, Enzo Fiore, Sergio Fiorentino, Francesco Fossati, Giovanni Frangi, Maurizio Galimberti, Michelangelo Galliani, Omar Galliani, Daniele Galliano, Laura Giardino, Robert Gligorov, Giuseppe Gonella, Domenico Grenci, Ester Grossi, Franco Guerzoni, Agnese Guido, Audrey Guttman, Silvia Inselvini, Filippo La Vaccara, Franceso Lauretta, L’orMa, Giovanni Manfredini, Bruno Marrapodi, Franco Marrocco, Luciano Massari, Andrea Mastrovito, Marco Mazzoni, Paolo Migliazza, Enrico Minguzzi, Kazumasa Mizokami, Concetta Modica, Elena Modorati, Tomoko Nagao, Silvia Negrini, Marco Pace, Silvia Paci, Mimmo Paladino, Robert Pan, Alessandro Papetti, Paola Pezzi, Paolo Pibi, Alex Pinna, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Luigi Presicce, Massimo Pulini, Pierluigi Pusole, Gherardo Quadrio Curzio, Alfredo Rapetti, Carlo Alberto Rastelli, Giotto Riva, Brigitta Rossetti, Elisa Rossi, Laboratorio Saccardi, Nicola Samorì, Aldo Sergio, Davide Serpetti, Marta Sesana, Giuseppe Stampone, Luca Trevisani, Wainer Vaccari, Vedovamazzei, Nicola Verlato, Flaminia Veronesi, Dany Vescovi, Fabio Viale, Velasco Vitali.

Contemporary votive offerings on display at Giovanni Bonelli's in Milan

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.