Curated by Elisabetta Masala
A wish, a dough, a shared work of art.
I pani del desiderio (The Breads of Desire) is a participatory art project born from a simple, universal gesture: making bread. And yet, the loaves of Ilaria Turba are not made only of flour, water, and yeast—they also hold dreams, memories, and shared aspirations. In a time marked by fragmentation and uncertainty, the symbolic and communal value of ritual breads from the Mediterranean is elevated through an artistic and social act, capable of generating empathy and deep listening.
The exhibition Ilaria Turba. I pani del desiderio marks the final stage of a long journey through territories, communities, and desires. After years of encounters and exchanges, the artist shares with the public a reflection on the profound meaning of a collective and transformative experience. The project began in 2018 in the northern neighborhoods of Marseille, where, as an associate artist at the national theatre LE ZEF, Ilaria Turba led a series of workshops with the local community. It was in this context that over one hundred bread-sculptures were created: unique forms made collectively and inspired by the desires of each participant.
Beginning in 2022, I pani del desiderio evolved into a journey across Italy, with each stop involving museums, festivals, local associations, and residents. From Milan to Fontecchio, from Florence to Castiglione delle Stiviere, and finally to the medieval stone village of Ghesc in Piedmont, each location offered an opportunity to regenerate the gesture, activate new dialogues with communities, and create entirely new forms.
The final Italian stop of this traveling project took place in the village of Villaurbana, in the province of Oristano, as part of the Fondazione di Sardegna’s AR/S – Arte Condivisa program. It is in Sardinia—a land deeply rooted in the tradition of ritual bread making—that the project findes its symbolic completion: a return to matter, memory, and the gestures that bring people together. During a collective celebration in the forest of S’Arangiu Aresti, the artist shared the stories behind each of the more than one hundred breads gathered during the journey, before entrusting them to fire in a symbolic act of transformation. As in ancient rituals, their metamorphosis does not signify an end, but rather a passage toward rebirth. The resulting brilliant black ash becomes a symbol of desires that have shed their form and merged with one another. As the artist states in the video accompanying the exhibition, “The shapes that disappear remain in memory, in traces, in the stories that can still be passed on. They have not vanished; they have simply returned to their essence—the same essence from which every desire was born.”
The exhibition I pani del desiderio retraces the entire journey, inviting visitors to symbolically follow the path from Marseille to Sardinia through a selection of works—some of which are being shown for the first time—transforming the museum into a living space of connection, listening, and care. In a present that demands imagination and new forms of closeness and humanity, Ilaria Turba invites us to begin with a simple, universal gesture: to give shape to a desire and share it with others.
Ilaria Turba
The work of visual artist Ilaria Turba (www.ilariaturba.com) unfolds through interdisciplinary, participatory, and relational projects that involve communities, specific groups, and territories—often within complex or challenging contexts. Her practice is rooted in direct exchange with people, incorporating their voices, actions, and stimuli into her creations. These take the form of installations, public art, images, objects, artist’s books, performances, and celebratory moments. Turba’s work is distinguished by its coherence, aesthetic sensibility, and emotional depth, particularly evident in her inclusive processes and the reimagining of the themes she chooses to explore. A recurring element in her practice is dialogue with both private and public archives.
Ilaria Turba was the recipient of the 9th edition of the Italian Council in 2020. Her work has been featured at: Mucem, Marseille; LE ZEF Scène Nationale de Marseille; Manifesta13; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie d’Arles; Performative, MAXXI L’Aquila; Festival Trajectoires, Nantes; Fondazione Prada; Castello di Rivoli, Turin; Brooklyn Children’s Museum, NYC; Museo della Triennale, Milan; Festival Animac, Catalonia; Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea, Milan; Festival Filosofia, Modena; Festival Fotografia Europea, Reggio Emilia.