CHIAVE TERRESTRE: The Exhibition of Giulia Piscitelli’s Works – 17 September 2025

Since September 17, the MUNAV – Naval History Museum in Venice will host the exhibition “Chiave Terrestre” by Giulia Piscitelli, curated by Stefano Chiodi and organized by D’Uva. The exhibition, which marks the beginning of a new cycle that unites maritime history and contemporary art, explores the themes of travel, encounter, and memory. The artist, known for her ability to interact with places, uses the concept of navigation as a spiritual experience, amplifying the museum’s narrative without overpowering it. The title “Chiave Terrestre,” a Neapolitan expression for a main water tap, becomes a metaphor for the relationship between man and planet, with water and earth as inseparable elements that influence migrations, conflicts, and salvation. Piscitelli’s over 45 works are spread throughout the museum’s rooms, which are rich with naval models, ex-votos, and historical artifacts. Among the most significant:

• Una Nuvola Come Tappeto (2019): Catholic kneelers covered with Islamic prayer rugs, which unite Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
• Pitture mute: small anonymous canvases covered with silver leaf that reflect the shipwrecks depicted in the museum’s ex-votos.
• “Maps” series: nautical charts with gold halos, which transform a symbol of salvation into an explosion or a mirage.
• “Tapestries”: velvets faded with bleach that depict sails and nautical instruments, similar to photographic films or weather charts.
• Planeta (2018): a liturgical vestment made from the kevlar of a bulletproof vest, which juxtaposes war with ritual.

The exhibition transforms the museum into a “palimpsest,” where the sea is a mirror and faith is an anchor. Piscitelli’s works, between disenchantment and regenerative momentum, invite reflection on the relationship between humanity and the sea, the “first and last frontier” of our future. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog published by D’Uva.