"On display there are not the usual figurines of the beautiful nativity scenes now known all over the world, but historical uniforms, popular costumes of Puglia and Friuli Venezia Giulia made by the master Gianni Mazzoccoli" - commented Stefania Lacriola, the curator of the exhibition entitled: "Memory becomes presence - A journey through history and art".
Maestro Mazzoccoli, son of art, is a retired non-commissioned officer of the Army (Arma di Cavalleria). To implement his project to represent the history of period costumes and uniforms, he carried out a meticulous ethnographic research at the Historical Office of the General Staff and consulted documents from the various municipal libraries and the "Picca" barracks in Bari.
The artist has succeeded, as only the papier-mache masters can do, in realizing incredible details such as folds of clothes, transparencies and adhesions of clothes and even armor, shields and weapons.
The exhibition is divided into three sections: male and female regional historical clothes, uniforms, life-size military hats.
The papier-mâché as an art form manages to express emotions and wonder, to make the viewer passionate, a passion that is addressed not only to the artist who created the work with a particular technique, but also to the Earth of origin .
Every realization can only be observed and carefully studied to truly admire it.
Mazzoccoli in Bari is a happy return. Just in the Apulian capital some years ago his exhibition career began with a memorable exhibition at the Unified Army Circle in via Cairoli (now closed).
Immediately after Bari the exhibition will be hosted in Veneto and in Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Daniela De Chirico
