Ogni costruzione è fatta di frammenti (M. Schwob) – Mosaics, architecture and public space in the 20th and 21st centuries.
As part of the 9th Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary Mosaics, on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 November 2025, MAR will host the international conference “Ogni costruzione è fatta di frammenti” (Every construction is made of fragments), dedicated to the relationship between mosaics, architecture and public space in the 20th century and in our own century. Two days of discussion focusing on the evolution of this ancient technique within the built environment, from the first modern experiments to the most recent site-specific works. Curated by Alberto Giorgio Cassani, architectural historian and lecturer at the Ravenna State Academy of Fine Arts, the conference is organised by MAR and the Ravenna State Academy of Fine Arts. The title refers to a phrase by Marcel Schwob, emphasising the compositional and “fragmentary” nature shared by mosaics and architecture. The programme explores different aspects of this relationship: from the expressionist experiences of artists such as Gaudí, Rodia, Isidore, Hundertwasser, Niki de Saint Phalle and O’Gorman, to the ideological interpretations of the 20th century, to the critical approaches of the post-war period with figures such as Lucio Fontana and Mario Deluigi, the latter in dialogue with architect Carlo Scarpa. The concluding presentations on Saturday are dedicated to Scarpa and Deluigi, accompanied by an image chosen for the conference: a famous photograph by Guido Guidi of the Brion Tomb. Speakers will include internationally renowned scholars, among them Giovanni Bianchi, Guglielmo Bilancioni, Ermanno Carbonara, Giovanna Cassese, Anna Caterino, Gabriella Cianciolo Cosentino, Maurizio Corrado, Chiara Curti, Francesco Dal Co, Simone Feneri, Edgardo Franzosini, Louise Noelle Gras, Guido Guidi, Lucia Pesapane, Giovanna Riu, Marco Santi, Claudia Tedeschi.
Fabio Sbaraglia, Roberto Cantagalli, Paola Babini and Daniele Torcellini will deliver the official greetings.
Free admission
