CONNEXXION
From 7 to 14 June 2025, CONNEXXION reclaims Savona’s public and symbolic spaces through contemporary art. Curated by Livia Savorelli and promoted by Associazione Culturale Arteam with the patronage of the Comune di Savona, the third edition centres on the theme of freedom as an existential and collective condition.
The preview took place on 6 June, with the city activated by “Io non ho vergogna. Itinerante”, a performance by Mona Lisa Tina, and the launch of “Monumenta Italia / Cantiere Savona”, a public art project by Irene Pittatore curated by Lisa Parola and Tea Taramino. The project focuses on three city monuments—Monumento ai Caduti, Monumento a Garibaldi, and Monumento al Marinaio—and invites the public to reflect on the meaning of monumentality today. The official preview opened at 6:30pm at the Mercato Civico di Savona.
The exhibition opened on 7 June at the ex Carcere Sant’Agostino, a venue made accessible thanks to the collaboration between the Agenzia del Demanio, the Comune di Savona, and the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio. For one week, from 7 to 14 June, the space hosts installations, performances, and talks by artists invited to reflect on the idea of freedom by inhabiting prison cells or communal areas with new, site-specific works.
The exhibition begins with the section “Sguardi”, which includes “La città invisibile”, conceived by Michela Vernazza and co-curated with Livia Savorelli, and “Il Perdono ha l’odore dei fiori calpestati”, a sensitive photographic project by Matteo Musetti exploring human fragility and care.
The exhibition route continues with “Monumenta Italia / Cantiere Savona”, presented through structures worn by CentroDanzaSavona students in the prison corridor. On 8 June, the related talk “Sai quanti sono i monumenti dedicati a una donna, a Savona?” took place in the former chapel.
In Cella n.1, “ZERØ” by mCLp studio and Daniele Nitti Sotres explores sound, material, and spatial threshold. In Cella n.2, “Alone” by Maya Zignone reflects on solitude and the struggle for meaning. In Cella n.3, “Il mio secondino è un numero” by Angelo Demitri Morandini questions algorithmic control through a dialogue of artificial intelligences.
In Cella n.4, Gino D’Ugo presents “ALI”, an installation combining books and butterflies as metaphors for transformation and lightness. “Sala de espera” by Narda Zapata occupies Cella n.5, using twelve clay figures and audio prayers to evoke suspended time and silent waiting.
Cella n.6 houses “Sulle pareti nulla” by Silvia Vendramel, an interactive piece activated with the torchlight of visitors’ mobile phones. On 7 June, Vendramel also performed “Vestire lo spazio, accorciare le distanze” in the courtyard, encouraging physical proximity and playful transformation through fabric and shared movement.
In Cella n.7, Federica Mariani presents “Body search by-the-book”, which includes the video “It’s not always easy to be a cop” and paraffin sculptures exploring female body searches and institutional control. A talk, “Detenzione femminile: in dialogo tra dati e arte”, took place on 7 June with Alberto Rizzerio and Luigi Debernardi.
Starting from 11 June, visitors can still experience the powerful installation “The Age of Remedy” by Tiziana Pers in Cella n.8. The work invites participation through signed ceramic plates that question our relationship with food and ethics. On 13 June, from 5:30pm to 7:00pm in the former chapel, Tiziana and Isabella Pers lead the workshop “EARTHLINGS”, combining environmental and animal rights activism through collective ceramic creation rooted in Savona’s traditions.
The exhibition remains open until 14 June. On the final day, CONNEXXION closes with two playful public activities at the Mercato Civico in collaboration with Arscode – Il gioco dell’arte. From 3pm to 4pm, “Crea “la tua carta e gioca con Arscode” is a workshop for children aged 10 to 13. From 5pm to 6pm, the game “ARSCODE – Il gioco dell’arte” is presented by its creator Diego Santamaria, with open participation.
The exhibition at the ex Carcere Sant’Agostino is open with free admission. Opening hours are 3:30pm to 7:30pm from Monday to Friday, and on Saturday 14 June, from 10:00am to 1:00pm and 3:30pm to 7:30pm.
All information is available at www.connexxion.it or via telephone at +39 019 4500744.
