Franca Maranò: Elogio del Margine

Data: 4 Maggio 2023
Luogo: EDDart | Palazzo Taverna, Via di Monte Giordano 36, 00186 | Roma
Ingresso: dal 4 Maggio al 30 Giugno 2023
Orario: Martedì – Sabato 14.30-18.30 oppure su appuntamento

EDDart, in collaboration with Richard Saltoun Gallery, presents “Franca Maranò: Elogio del Margine” (Franca Maranò: Praise of the Margin) from May 4th to June 30th, 2023. Curated by Paola Ugolini, this exhibition is the first retrospective of Franca Maranò (Bari, 1920-2015) in Rome following her passing.
Franca Maranò was an eclectic and imaginative figure who pioneered the use of textiles in contemporary art in the 1970s.
In 1970, she co-founded Centrosei, the first avant-garde gallery in Bari, along with five other artists. The gallery hosted exhibitions by prominent feminist artists such as Mirella Bentivoglio, Tomaso Binga, Maria Lai, Elisa Montessori, and Ketty La Rocca.
The exhibition showcases Maranò’s sculptural works in ceramics as well as her textile production, including the series “Cuciti” (Sewn), which consists of abstract compositions on canvas, and the “Abiti Mentali” (Mental Dresses) made from medieval canvas, red cloth, and black cotton thread, which were used in performances and installations conceived by the artist from 1977 onwards.
The title of the exhibition aims to highlight the context of marginality in which Franca Maranò’s artistic research developed: “In a traditionally patriarchal southern Italy, where the female voice has struggled to be heard” (Paola Ugolini).
In one of her statements, the artist from Bari states that it was the feminist movement that led her to reconsider the terms of her research, “in order to satisfy my need to operate outside the culture of privilege and without any further ties to established codes and traditional painterly means.”
The ninth catalog, curated by EDDart and featuring a text by Paola Ugolini, is currently being published. Special thanks to the Franca Maranò Archive, Bari.