STILLS OF PEACE
AND EVERYDAY LIFE Ed.XII
Italy and Colombia: Global FUTURE
JUL 5 – SEPT 7, 2025 / ATRI (TE) – PESCARA
Artistic Director Giovanna Dello Iacono
STILLS OF PEACE AND EVERYDAY LIFE. EDITION XII
Italy and Colombia: GLOBAL FUTURE
Following the success of its eleventh edition, dedicated to Mexico and the theme of Global Humanity—understood as an expression of solidarity, empathy, and a sense of belonging to a single human community—the twelfth edition of Stills of Peace and Everyday Life turns its gaze toward Colombia, offering a thoughtful exploration of the concept of the Future.
Not simply a temporal horizon, the Future is presented as a concrete promise, a driving force of hope and motivation for new generations—those called to shape tomorrow with renewed optimism and awareness.
At the heart of the artistic and cultural dialogue is the urgent and universal issue of safeguarding the planet’s vital resources. Colombia—globally recognized as a symbol of biodiversity and a guardian of unique ecosystems—emerges as a symbolic territory for this exploration, acting as a bridge between tradition and innovation, between natural heritage and sustainable development. The title Global Future is not merely a statement of intent, but a true manifesto: an invitation to recognize the universal right to a prosperous and harmonious future, where progress and conservation achieve a virtuous balance.
The theme of the Future is closely linked to the slogan Paz con la Naturaleza (Peace with Nature), coined for the 16th United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP16), held in Cali, at the heart of one of the world’s most biodiverse regions. That summit affirmed a fundamental principle: true peace with nature requires a radical transformation of our values, a rethinking of lifestyles and development models, so that progress does not translate into exploitation, but into alliance with ecosystems.
From these premises emerges the exhibition path of the four shows that make up this twelfth edition, unfolding between the evocative Cisterns and the halls of Palazzo Acquaviva in Atri, the space s.l.m. 00 – zerozerosullivellodelmare, and the Yag/Garage venue in Pescara. In addition to the exhibitions, the Courtyard of Palazzo Acquaviva will host Cine Colombia, a film series showcasing the best of Colombian cinema, while a new literary section, Stills Story, will debut with four in-depth encounters.
A curatorial team of eight professionals, twenty-two international artists, and sixty-five days of events shape the mosaic of this edition, which presents itself not only as a cultural showcase, but as a platform for global dialogue. An invitation to reflect, create, and act—so that the future is not an unknown, but a collective project to be written with courage and vision.
Giovanna Dello Iacono
Artistic Director
PROGRAM:
MA.CO. / Marathon of the Contemporary
July 5, 6 p.m. / Atri (TE)
Courtyard of Palazzo Acquaviva – Opening of Stills of Peace
Cisterns and Halls of Palazzo Acquaviva – Opening of the exhibitions Global FUTURE, curated by Giovanna Dello Iacono and Maria Letizia Paiato, and Generation from the Light, curated by Marta Michelacci and Anton Giulio Zimarino
July 6, 6 p.m. / Pescara
s.l.m. 00 – zerozerosullivellodelmare – Opening of the exhibition Forgotten People, curated by Paolo Dell’Elce
YAG/Garage – Opening of Stills of Peace for Young, curated by Cecilia Buccioni, Giovanna Dello Iacono, and Maria Letizia Paiato
July 7, 6 p.m. / Atri (TE)
Courtyard of Palazzo Acquaviva / Atri (TE)
6:00 PM – First event of Stills Story, curated by Giuliana De Petris – A conversation with writer Alberto Bile Spadaccini and presentation of the book In Colombia with Gabriel García Márquez. Without Gravity and the book “The Risks of the Body” of María Ospina Pizano, edited by Edicola Ediciones.
9:00 PM – First event of Cine Colombia, curated by Fr. Federico Ibargüen Ruiz – Screening of the short film La Sixtina (2022) by Juan Camilo Fonnegra and the feature film Cuando las Aguas se Juntan (2023) by Margarita Martínez
EXHIBITIONS:
JUL 5 – SEPT 7, 2025
ATRI – 10.00 – 12.00 / 16.30 – 19.30 / 21.00 – 23.00 / Every day
JUL 6 – SEPT 6, 2025
PESCARA – 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. / Tuesday through Saturday
FREE ENTRY
Cisterne di Palazzo Acquaviva – Atri (TE)
GLOBAL FUTURE
Lorenzo Aceto, Aycoobo, Chiara Calore, Rudy Cremonini, Federica Giulianini, Mariangela Levita, Luz Lizarazo, Matteo Montani, Pietro Moretti, Giovanni Paolo Randazzo Mora, Alejandro Sánchez Suárez, María Alejandra Torres
Curated by Giovanna Dello Iacono and Maria Letizia Paiato
Colombia, a global symbol of biodiversity to be preserved, is the central theme of the 12th edition of Stills of Peace and Everyday Life, titled Global Future. Looking to the future as a right of the new generations and a commitment to safeguarding the planet’s vital resources, the exhibition Global Future brings together twelve artists from different generations—diverse in their backgrounds yet surprisingly united by shared sensibilities about art, particularly painting. The works of Aycoobo, Lorenzo Aceto, Chiara Calore, Rudy Cremonini, Federica Giulianini, Mariangela Levita, Luz Lizarazo, Matteo Montani, Pietro Moretti, Giovanni Paolo Randazzo Mora, Alejandro Sánchez Suárez, and María Alejandra Torres emerge as true promises for the future. Ranging from purely abstract expressions to those leaning toward figuration, their pieces highlight themes such as landscape, urban environments, and, more broadly, the relationship between humans and the spaces they inhabit. Within these works, one can read reflections on time, inner turmoil, the tensions between art, nature, and technology, voyeuristic gestures, as well as dreamlike, ironic, and unsettling visions—wild and mythological spaces, and critical takes on globalization. Through the concept of art as a new language of connection, the exhibition becomes a catalyst for rewriting the future.
Sale of Palazzo Acquaviva – Atri (TE)
GENERATION FROM LIGHT
Mozzarella Light, Juan Eugenio Ochoa, Natalia Triviño Lozano, Paolo Scirpa
Curated by Marta Michelacci and Antonio Zimarino
The exhibition conceived for this 12th edition stems from a reflection on the “power” and function of light in the formal construction and semantic depth of artworks. The selected artists explore this power of light: their works are formally and visually shaped by it, endowing them with profound symbolic and conceptual meaning. Light, though physically defined by frequencies and photons in quantum physics, carries a symbolic weight that has persisted for millennia. This immaterial substance is deeply embedded in human consciousness—as a generative force in visions, symbolism, philosophy, and spiritual awareness. The artists come from diverse generations and cultures, yet all use light as both symbolic and practical “material”—intangible yet essential to our perception of reality and ideas. Paolo Scirpa, through his Ludoscopi, constructs shifting perimeters of neon light, offering viewers a visual experience of infinity. Juan Eugenio Ochoa captures external light to envelop and dematerialize the perception of the human face within the painting. In Mozzarella Light (Giulia Ciappi – Marco Frassinelli), light flows through suspended waters, transforming space into unstable clouds or flickering bursts of energy. Natalia Triviño Lozano uses contrasts and marks on surfaces to unleash a violent inner light—charged with intense physical presence.
s.l.m. 00 – zerozerosullivellodelmare / pescara
Forgotten People
Luz Elena Castro
Curated by Paolo Dell’Elce
Luz Elena Castro’s work as a photographer and journalist is a form of activism—an engagement from within, grounded in close contact with the struggles and realities of society. “From the very beginning of my career, I felt a special connection with the forgotten people of the world. They are a central part of my work. Through the images of their faces, their struggles, and daily lives, I have tried to draw public attention to them. Despite their condition—poverty, abandonment, and misery—there is a force that rises from their spirits. I strive to capture it.” Castro chooses, almost by molecular affinity, the “forgotten people” of the world. These are “minor” lives, pushed to the margins of society, often voiceless and placeless, yet bearing faces that reveal the full beauty of human dignity. Her lens casts them in a redemptive light—a manifestation of unbroken vitality and spirituality. Against all odds. A light of authenticity pervades Luz Elena Castro’s photography, where forgotten individuals are touched by her compassion and elevated by her respectful and empathetic gaze. Her work insists on recognition and dignity for each of them. Forgotten People is an invitation to look inward with different eyes—to confront the parts of ourselves that are often denied or ignored. It is in that vulnerable, painful, and deeply sensitive place—where fragility, purity, even poverty and other typically stigmatized traits dwell—that a new definition of humanity may begin to emerge.
YAG/Garage – Pescara
STILLS OF PEACE FOR YOUNG
Daniele Di Girolamo, McManu Espinosa, Martina Marini Misterioso, Lalula Vivenzi
Curated by Cecilia Buccioni, Giovanna Dello Iacono and Maria Letizia Paiato
The global ecosystem is evolving rapidly, and with each passing day it seems increasingly driven toward political and social tensions rooted in individualism—tensions that silence both the individual and the minority. This stark contrast undermines humanity’s intrinsic freedom and the value of diversity, disrupting a primordial balance and triggering profound transformations. Through their investigations, the four artists construct a multifaceted discourse on the contemporary world—on how it is changing, and how it is changing us. What values and resources are essential for life? How can we protect the plurality we inhabit as we move toward the future? These questions form the starting point for a reflection that engages the senses through diverse materials and expressive languages, exploring the many facets of the Global Future. From introspection and the search for enduring reference points in ever-shifting forms, to the need for self-knowledge as a way to confront the fear of tomorrow; from activism against uncertainty and consumerist exclusion, to a reconnection with nature in order to understand the essential interdependence between people and the complex world around them—at once witness and protagonist of our shared environmental and social transformations.
CINE COLOMBIA
Courtyard of Palazzo Acquaviva – Atri (TE)
Cine Colombia
Curated by P. Federico Ibargüen Ruiz
Six screenings of Colombian cinema in the original language with Italian subtitles, in collaboration with the Embassy of Colombia in Italy.
July 7, 14, 28 / August 4, 25 / September 1, 2025 – 9:00 PM
Monday 7 July – 9 p.m.
La Sixtina (2022) di Juan Camilo Fonnegra
Fiction, 9 minutes
La Sixtina is a 2022 animated short film directed by Juan Camilo Fonnegra. It tells the story of Vincho, a homeless man and artist who turns urban waste into art, creating his own “Sistine Chapel” under a bridge. The film, made with the stop motion technique, has been screened at various international festivals, including the Festival de Biarritz Amérique Latine and the New York International Children’s Film Festival.
Monday 7 July – 9 p.m.
Cuando las Aguas se Juntan (2023) di Margarita Martínez
Documentary, 85 minutes
Like the rivers that join in the great Amazonas, the voices of women survivors of war intertwine in Margarita Martínez’s documentary Cuando las Aguas se Juntan. They have faced violence, coca and silence, but together they have built paths of peace. The film, shot in Colombia and supported by ONU Mujeres, is a song of resilience, love and hope. With radical gentleness, these women rewrite history, giving voice to the invisible. A new politics is born from their embrace: humane, supportive, possible. A world where, at last, even the waters are heard.
Monday 14 July – 9 p.m.
Bajo la Sombra del Guacarí (2019) di Greg Méndez
Fiction, 15 minutes
Bajo la sombra del Guacarí is a short fiction film directed by Greg Méndez in 2018, set in Colombia’s Mojana region. Through traditional vaquería songs, the film explores how violence is experienced and transmitted through oral tradition in a silent landscape characterized by swamps and rivers. Screened at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, the short film offers a poetic and aural portrait of a rural Colombia suspended between memory and resistance.
Monday 14 July – 9 p.m.
Una Madre (2022) di Diógenes Cuevas
Fiction, 83 minutes
A Mother, a debut feature by Colombian director Diógenes Cuevas, is an intense road movie that explores family ties and mental health. After the death of his father, Alejandro decides to free his mother, who is interned in a rural asylum, believing she has been wrongly locked up. Together they embark on a journey through the rugged mountains of Antioquia, facing emotional and physical challenges. The film was selected in international festivals such as the Miami International Film Festival and the Festival Internacional de Cine de Cartagena de Indias in 2020.
Monday 28 July – 9 p.m.
Camino del Agua (2015) di Carlos Felipe Montoya
Fiction, 8 minutes
Camino del agua (2015), directed by Carlos Felipe Montoya, is a Colombian short film that tells the story of Nicole, a six-year-old girl who lives with her mother in a remote Andean páramo. One day, her mother asks her to fetch water from a crystal clear stream, forbidding her to drink from the mysterious lagoon along the way. On the way, Nicole is confronted with her reflection in the lagoon waters and must make a moral decision that will have an unexpected outcome.
Monday 28 July – 9 p.m.
El abrazo de la serpiente (2015) by Ciro Guerra
Drama/Adventure – 125 minutes
El abrazo de la serpiente (2015), directed by Ciro Guerra, is a Colombian film set in the Amazon rainforest and inspired by the travel journals of two Western explorers from the 20th century. The story follows Karamakate, a solitary shaman and the last survivor of his tribe, who guides first a sick German ethnologist and, decades later, an American botanist in search of the sacred plant yakruna. Through two parallel timelines, the film explores the relationship between humans and nature, cultural memory, and the impact of colonization, in a hallucinatory journey between dream and reality.
Monday 4 August – 9 p.m.
El Tamaño de las Cosas (2019) di Carlos Felipe Montoya
Fiction, 12 minutes
El Tamaño de las Cosas (2019) is a Colombian short film directed by Carlos Felipe Montoya, known for his philosophical and visual approach. With a running time of 12 minutes, the film tells the story of Diego, a child who finds a chair in the woods and brings it home, triggering a series of mysterious events that will change his life and that of his father. The film was awarded the Special Jury Prize in the Generation Kplus section at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival, recognizing its ability to explore universal themes through a unique lens. It was produced by Mestiza Films and received the Macondo Award for Best Short Film in 2016.
Monday 4 August – 9 p.m.
La estrategia del caracol (1993) by Sergio Cabrera
Comedy/Allegorical – 110 minutes
La estrategia del caracol (1993), directed by Sergio Cabrera, is an allegorical comedy set in 1970s Bogotá. The film tells the story of a group of tenants living in an old house in the city center who, threatened with eviction by a wealthy landlord, devise a clever plan to defend their dignity and their right to housing. Premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 1993, the film received a Goya Award nomination for Best Spanish-Language Foreign Film in 1995.
Monday 25 August – 9 p.m.
Arena (2022) di Rossana Montoya
Fiction, 13,30 minutes
Arena (2022), directed by Rossana Montoya, is a short film that explores grief through the eyes of a 7-year-old girl, Ilana, who embarks on a journey with her sister to scatter her father’s ashes. The film, with a delicate and powerful narrative, has participated in numerous international festivals, including BOGOSHORTS and Cinema Jove. Montoya’s direction marks his debut in the world of short film.
Monday 25 August – 9 p.m.
Alis (2022) by Clare Weiskopf and Nicolas van Hemelryck
Documentary – 84 minutes
Alis (2022), directed by Clare Weiskopf and Nicolas van Hemelryck, is a Colombian documentary that explores the lives of ten teenage girls living in a shelter in Bogotá. Invited to imagine a fictional classmate named Alis, the girls reflect on their own life experiences, marked by trauma and hope. The film stands out for its intimate and sensitive storytelling, offering a powerful look at female resilience and empowerment. Alis was awarded the Crystal Bear in the Generation 14plus section and the Teddy Award at the Berlin Film Festival, as well as a special mention at Italy’s Sguardi Altrove Film Festival.
Monday 1st September – 9 p.m.
Menguante (2019) di Carlos Felipe Montoya
Fiction, 12 minutes
Menguante (2017), directed by Carlos Montoya, is a short film that tells the story of a young woman, Negra, who returns to her beachfront home with news that will change her life. With an intense narrative, it explores themes of family and change. The film has won awards and participated in numerous festivals, including FICCI and BOGOSHORTS.
Monday 1st September – 9 p.m.
La Ciudad de las Fieras (2022) di Henry Rincón
Fiction, 93 minutes
After the death of his mother, Tato, a young rapper from Medellín, flees urban violence to take refuge in the mountains of Santa Elena, where his grandfather Octavio, a floriculturist and guardian of the silletera tradition, lives. In Henry Rincón’s film La Ciudad de las Fieras, two worlds meet: rap and boleros, concrete and flowers, anger and memory. Together, grandson and grandfather transform loneliness into roots and music into a bridge between generations. A vibrant tale of identity and reconciliation, awarded at the Miami Film Festival and celebrated at more than 20 international festivals.
STILLS STORY
Courtyard of Palazzo Acquaviva – Atri (TE)
Stills Story
Curated by Giuliana De Petris
Living Voices – Literature as Dialogue and Encounters Between Cultures
July 7 at 6:00 PM / July 17, August 28, September 4, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Monday 7 July – 6 p.m.
In Colombia with Gabriel García Márquez. Without Gravity – Alberto Bile Spadaccini
Book Presentation and Talk with the Author
An earthly paradise and a tormented land, a place of magic and war, of spirits and generals—Gabriel García Márquez’s Colombia is traced by paths of wonder connecting Bogotá and Naples, Cartagena and Moscow, Barranquilla and the Moon. Colombia is civil war, poverty, repression, struggle; yet it is also the suspended time of Macondo, an imaginary village—perhaps—but not untouched by the world’s disorder. A journalist by training, grounded in reality and at the same time extraordinary and rebellious, García Márquez inhabits a world of tradition and magic. Alberto Bile Spadaccini follows “Gabo” through his places and takes us on a journey through chimeric reportage and harsh fictions, gliding over the rooftops of furious cities populated by free-spirited girls and captive patriarchs, joyful criminals and sorrowful prostitutes.
Monday 7 July – 6 p.m.
The Risks of the Body by María Ospina Pizano
Every body tells a story, and in María Ospina Pizano’s narratives, it is the bodies themselves that recount what happens to the protagonists. A former guerrilla fighter trying to rebuild her life in the city, the young ladies of a boarding school, the elderly Mirla and her beautician—within these women’s bodies, and the relationships they weave with one another, take place struggle, transformation, the hard-fought conquest of space, and a deep yearning for community. Set against the backdrop of a chaotic Bogotá marked by stark social inequalities, the Colombian writer—published in Italy for the first time—focuses on the most asymmetric and unusual forms of female relationships. It is a geography of affection where care alternates with obsession, and where the female body demands new ways of being told.
Thursday 17 July – 9 p.m.
Women of the Mist by Laura Acero
In the majestic landscape of the world’s largest páramo—Colombia’s Sumapaz—once a week, a group of peasant women gathers to welcome a teacher who travels from Bogotá to lead a writing workshop. Leaving her infant son in the city with her husband, the teacher immerses herself in this harsh, emotionally charged, and uncertain land—and in the stories of those who inhabit it. Stories of children sacrificed to a long civil war, of brutally difficult daily life, of ancient, deep-rooted beliefs. Gradually, pain, violence, and spilled blood come to the surface, but so too does the beauty of a sacred land that has been a place of refuge and salvation for many Colombians. And it will become one for the protagonist as well—the teacher whose name we never learn.
Thursday 28 August – 9 p.m.
Guayabas. Women’s Voices from Colombia
Edited by Valentina Grieco and Rosa Schioppa
The guayaba—a fruit of feminine gender—is one of the richest, most nutritious, and fragrant on the planet, and emblematic of the more than four hundred fruit varieties found in Colombia. These qualities inspire the sixteen short stories in Guayabas, written by sixteen Colombian women writers and translated by sixteen women translators. Set in both the outskirts of large, chaotic cities and in small rural villages where time seems to have lost its grip, the stories revolve around themes of self-discovery, motherhood, and sexuality, shifting between realism and the surreal. Whether young or old, poor or middle-class, the protagonists of Guayabas face reality with irony, disillusionment, lightness, and melancholy. Their voices capture the full vitality of contemporary Colombian literature.
Thursday 4 September – 9 p.m.
The Animal Siege by Vanessa Londoño
In an imaginary country where horror and violence leave the most brutal marks, an unrelenting rain awakens the memories of those who have had something torn from them: a family, a piece of their body, or their land. Their bodies endure pain and desire; they still feel the memory of phantom limbs in their flesh. They try to recall their stories, the violence they suffered, while seeking new ways to communicate, love, and live—in a territory as mutilated as they are. Yet the same downpour threatens to wash everything away, erasing memories and reshaping the geography of both bodies and people. Vanessa Londoño’s clear, disciplined prose stands in stark contrast to the horrors she describes—a lyrical language capable of viscerally conveying violence while offering a critical, complex perspective on her continent.
Stills of Peace and Everyday Life
A RESEARCH INTO THE SENSE OF CONTEMPORANEITY
Stills of Peace and Everyday Life is a project promoted by the Aria Foundation, based on an experimental hypothesis: to realise art and culture ‘events’ through the encounter, communication and knowledge of different cultural traditions around the world. These events are intended to start building a global network of connections and collaborations which, through the production of further events, will lead to a knowledge and respect of the Cultures themselves, mutually enhancing their Beauty and depth. Sociology, Contemporary Art, Sustainable Economics, and Education are the disciplines that contribute to dialogue and deep understanding of the common humanistic and existential values that underpin each specific Culture.
Throughout the eleven editions of Stills of Peace, we have had the honour of receiving the patronage of prestigious national and international institutions, which have recognised the cultural value and intercultural dialogue message of the festival.
At the international level, the festival has received the support of numerous embassies, including those of Pakistan, France, Morocco, the Republic of Korea, Armenia and Mexico in Italy, as well as the Italian Embassies in their respective countries, such as Islamabad, Seoul, Armenia and Mexico. The support of important cultural institutions such as the French Cultural Institute in Italy, the Japanese Cultural Institute and the Korean Cultural Institute was also significant. The diplomatic attention towards the exhibition was also witnessed by the official visit of the Ambassadors of Pakistan and Armenia. Furthermore, Stills of Peace received the patronage of foreign ministries, such as the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, as well as the Ministry of Culture of Spain.
In Italy, the festival was recognised by leading institutions, including the Ministry of Culture (MiC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI). The Italian Federation of UNESCO Associations and Clubs and UNICEF also granted their patronage, confirming the educational and cultural value of the project. Among the national and international cultural institutions based in Italy were the French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici, Acción Cultural Española, the Instituto Cervantes in Rome, the Dante Alighieri Society and CEPELL (Centre for Books and Reading). The support of the Study and Documentation Centre of the Armenian Community, the Armenian Community of Rome, the Italiarmenia Association and the Asociación Fronteras was also very important.
The recognition of the high artistic and intellectual value of Stills of Peace was also confirmed by the patronage of numerous academic institutions, both Italian and international. Among them, the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana de México and the Real Academia de España en Roma gave their support, together with prestigious Italian universities such as the University of Florence, the University of Macerata and the University of L’Aquila. The Confucius Institute of the University of Macerata, the ABAQ – Academy of Fine Arts of L’Aquila, the University of Studies ‘G. d’Annunzio’ Chieti-Pescara (UniCH) and the University of Studies of Teramo (UniTE) have also given their patronage.
Finally, at regional and local level, the festival received the support of the Abruzzo Region and the Abruzzo Regional Council, as well as that of numerous municipalities, including Atri, Pescara, Chieti, Vasto and Orsogna. The Honorary Consulate of Spain in L’Aquila and the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio of Abruzzo also recognised and supported the value of the festival, together with the Associazione Giappone in Abruzzo.
Curated by:
With the High Patronage of Regione Abruzzo and the Patronage of:
Sponsored by:
