Michele Ciacciofera – Forme d’argilla. Un secolo di Ceramica Sarda (1900-2000) | Mostra collettiva

FONDAZIONE BEVILACQUA LA MASA and ISRE

Forme d’argilla. Un secolo di ceramica sarda (1900–2000)

March 28th – April 25th, 2026

Palazzetto Tito, Venice

curated by Istituto Superiore Regionale Etnografico della Sardegna

ISRE – Istituto Superiore Regionale Etnografico della Sardegna, in collaboration with Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, presents the exhibition Forme d’argilla. Un secolo di ceramica sarda (1900–2000), on view from March 28th to April 25th, 2026 at Palazzetto Tito in Venice.

The exhibition presents a comprehensive overview of the history of 20th Century Sardinian ceramics, highlighting the deep cultural and social roots of this artistic and artisanal tradition and its evolving dialogue with modernity and contemporary research.

Through a selection of approximately eighty artworks, mostly from the Nuoro Ceramics Museum, the project traces the evolution of a tradition that, beginning with everyday objects from the late 19th Century—tableware, pitchers, jars, and household utensils—developed throughout the 20th Century to achieve forms that were increasingly sophisticated in terms of artistry and design. Ceramics, initially tied to a functional dimension and a strong local identity, gradually opened up to new techniques, languages, and experimentation, entering into dialogue with art, design, and the international context.

The exhibition, curated by Efisio Carbone, Director of the ISRE museum complex, begins with traditional ceramics linked to domestic and ritual life in Sardinia, before exploring the revival of Sardinian ceramics during the 20th century through key figures such as Francesco Ciusa and the Dorgali scene with Ciriaco Piras and Salvatore Fancello, together with other protagonists of technical and stylistic development such as Federico Melis and Melkiorre Melis. The exhibition also features works by key figures in the Sardinian artistic and artisanal scene, including Saverio Farci, Eugenio Tavolara, Maria Lai, Giuseppe Silecchia, Gavino Tilocca, Paola Dessy, Costantino Nivola, Pinuccio Sciola, Edina Altara, and Alessandro Mola.

One section is also dedicated to a comparison with the national scene, where artworks by Italian ceramic artists are juxtaposed with Sardinian pieces—in particular thanks to the presence of Lenci and Essevi—highlighting affinities, influences, and cultural exchanges. The exhibition also includes contemporary artistic ceramics, featuring works by Rossana Rossi, Michele Ciacciofera, Antonello Cuccu, Caterina Lai, Gianfranco Pintus, Lalla Lussu, and Cristina and Stefania Ariu, which showcase the vitality and continuity of a tradition capable of renewing itself in the present. The exhibition is further enriched by a video on ceramics by the duo NARENTE, commissioned by CRAFT – Sardegna Ricerche for the Regione Sardegna and presented in its full version at the Esposizione Universale of Osaka.