The Memory of Signs: Cutrofiano and the Province of Lecce in the Photographs of Donato De Donatis (1975–1987)
Guided tour of the exhibition with curator Giorgio Coen Cagli
Saturday 10 October 2026, 6.00 pm
Cutrofiano Ceramics Museum and Library – Piazza Municipio
To mark the 22nd Contemporary Art Day, organised by AMACI – the Association of Italian Contemporary Art Museums, the Cutrofiano Ceramics Museum and Library invites the public to discover “The Memory of Signs: Cutrofiano and the province of Lecce in the photographs of Donato De Donatis (1975–1987)” through a special guided tour with curator Giorgio Coen Cagli.
An opportunity to delve into the heart of a photographic archive that chronicles a region and its transformations through the lens of Donato De Donatis (Cutrofiano, 1945–2020).
Featuring landscapes, people, communal rituals, the countryside, architecture and objects, the photographs capture the everyday life of Cutrofiano and the province of Lecce between 1975 and 1987: the ‘focare’ and the Youth Games, the countryside, dolmens, menhirs and ancient ruins, as well as the fumaroles, dwellings and fragments of the ceramic work produced by the master potters of Cutrofiano.
Accompanied by the curator, visitors will have the opportunity to gain a deeper insight into the choices that have shaped the exhibition itinerary – divided into three sections: ‘The Landscape and its Transformations’, ‘Collective Rites’ and ‘La Crita’ – and to explore the significance of an archive that is at once a personal and family diary, a mosaic of the society of the time and a testament to the profound transformations of the local area.
An opportunity to view the region through images, rediscover its traces and explore the memories they still hold.
Admission by booking only: +39 327 877 3894
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Exhibition curated by Giorgio Coen Cagli
A project by 34° Fuso, funded by Puglia Culture as part of the Public Call for the selection of projects to promote and proposals to acquire documentary collections of marionettes and photographic archives of historical and artistic importance and value in Puglia.
