Il territorio dell'architettura: esposizioni e allestimenti ai margini della Penisola

In the absence of a comprehensive history of architectural exhibitions in Italy, this paper offers an episodic reconstruction of exhibition practices developed in the “marginal” regions of the Peninsula from national Unification to the postwar period. The mapping from which this research emerges highlights the role of exhibitions in shaping cultural, political, and disciplinary dynamics, from nineteenth-century displays to Fascist-era initiatives and the reconstruction period, leading to the international outlook of the late twentieth century. While architecture was initially presented through exhibition models derived from art-historical display conventions, over the course of the last century the exhibition gradually acquired autonomy as a critical, didactic, and project-oriented device. Attention is given to peripheral contexts which, although marginal to major cultural centers, provide a nuanced perspective on the transformation of architectural discourse and on the relationship between architecture, exhibition design, and the public.