AN EXHIBITION IN GOLFO ARANCI TELLS THE STORY OF MAGIC CARPET, GIULIO LOCATELLI’S PARTICIPATORY ART PROJECT
From 4 to 26 July 2026, the Ex Infopoint on Via dei Marinai in Golfo Aranci will host Legati al mare (Bound to the Sea), an exhibition centred on MAGIC CARPET, the participatory artwork created by Bergamo-based artist Giulio Locatelli during the second edition of the artist residency Uno sguardo su Golfo Aranci (A Look at Golfo Aranci). Curated by Daniele Pipitone, the exhibition retraces the residency’s creative journey, a project supported and promoted by the Municipality of Golfo Aranci and the Fondazione di Sardegna.
The exhibition documents the development of the work through the finished carpet, preparatory drawings, photographs, and a documentary film tracing every stage of the residency—from the artist’s arrival by ferry and his exploration of the local landscape to workshops with students from Diaz Middle School, culminating in the final performative return of the artwork to the sea. Over the course of the two-week residency, Locatelli developed his project through close engagement with the local community, inviting young participants to take part in both the design and making of the work. Using the tufting technique, the students collaborated in creating a large textile inspired by their own drawings: an underwater garden inhabited by fish, flowers, and marine vegetation that reflects Golfo Aranci’s deep-rooted relationship with the sea.
The residency concluded with a symbolic public gesture, as the carpet was pulled into the water, reaffirming the community’s enduring bond with the sea – a defining element of the town’s identity as well as a fragile ecosystem that deserves care and protection. The collective act of weaving became an opportunity to strengthen relationships among participants while fostering a renewed sense of belonging to the surrounding coastal landscape. With MAGIC CARPET, Giulio Locatelli leaves Golfo Aranci a permanent artwork that now becomes part of the Municipality’s public art collection, preserving the memory of the residency and the collaborative work developed with younger generations around the values of participation, inclusion, and community building through artistic practice.
The exhibition opens on Saturday, 4 July at 7:00 pm on the seafront, in front of the Ex Infopoint and the sculptures by Pinuccio Sciola. Marking the occasion, Maria Sciola will present Pinuccio Sciola – Stones and Poems in the Voice of His Daughter Maria, a tribute to the renowned Sardinian artist featuring personal reflections on his life and work, performances on his celebrated sound stones, and readings of selected poems.
The exhibition will remain open daily until 26 July 2026, from 7:00 to 9:30 pm.
The project is presented as part of the second edition of Uno sguardo su Golfo Aranci, with the support and patronage of the Municipality of Golfo Aranci and the Fondazione di Sardegna, in collaboration with Pro Loco Golfo Aranci, Fondazione Worldrise ETS, and Corsica Sardinia Ferries.
