ANEMOIA: Images of a Timeless Riviera

There is a Greek word, "anemoia", which describes nostalgia for a time we have never experienced, a past that belongs to us even though we haven't lived it. This feeling evokes the title of the exhibition curated by Massimo Giorgetti, creative director of MSGM, which will transform Villa Franceschi, an iconic Art Nouveau villa and home to the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Riccione, into a journey through time and memory. The exhibition inaugurates the 27th edition of the Riccione TTV Festival and unfolds along a path that unites the works of six artists: the photographs of Luigi Ghirri, Claude Nori, Massimo Vitali, and Fulvia Farassino, the images of director Yuri Ancarani, and the words of writer Isabella Santacroce. Each work is a fragment of a story that reveals an intense and timeless Adriatic Riviera, where the past merges with the present, and memory transforms into imagination.

Massimo Giorgetti, speaking about the inspiration behind Anemoia, emphasizes how the idea was born from a shared desire to do something special for Riccione, a place deeply rooted in his biography and aesthetic. The exhibition is not just a visual tribute, but an act of love for a land that has marked his life and career. Every artist involved has a personal connection to the Riviera, creating a network of relationships and affinities that bring to life a shared and collective narrative. The exhibition is a dive into the Riccione of the 1980s, cradle of hedonism and transgression, but also of brightness and carefreeness. It is the "promised land" of generations of holidaymakers, artists, and intellectuals. The photographs of Massimo Vitali revive the crowded beaches and pulsating discos; Claude Nori captures the vitality of Riccione's youth; Luigi Ghirri evokes the nostalgia of the "winter sea", and Fulvia Farassino tenderly portrays the intellectual Pier Vittorio Tondelli.

Welcoming visitors, the voice of Isabella Santacroce resonates through her most iconic texts, creating an intimate and enveloping atmosphere. Giorgetti, who describes himself as "not a curator of exhibitions", defines Anemoia as a project born from passion, friendship, and enthusiasm, a journey he would undertake again without hesitation. Anemoia is more than an exhibition: it is an act of love for Riccione, a return to the origins and a tribute to a past that continues to live on in the memory and imagination of those who experienced it, and even of those, like us, who feel nostalgia for it before ever knowing it.

The exhibition will open on August 30 at 7 p.m. and will remain open until September 15, 2024.