Di-Se DiSegnare il territorio, one of the most anticipated illustration festivals in the country, returns from May 6 to July 2, 2023 in Domodossola to bring to the north of Piedmont and the Swiss border, some of the most interesting names in the world of drawing. In dialogue with the historic spaces of Domodossola’s Collegio Mellerio Rosmini, the works of the three artists Elisa Macellari, Paolo Metaldi and Paola Tassetti are on display, whose monographic exhibitions reason about the concept of making illustration today. The Di-Se Festival curated by Paolo Lampugnani for Associazione Musei d’Ossola includes the holding of numerous side events including an extraordinary exhibition of the drawing collections of the Galletti Civic Museums of Domodossola at Palazzo San Francesco.

The illustrators present at the Festival, with their different styles evoke heterogeneous themes and imagery, from Elisa Macellari‘s exotic one to Paola Tassetti‘s one linking science, art and philosophy and ending with Paolo Metaldi‘s nocturnal landscapes, rich in details and with different narrative levels.
Each dedicated section is placed in dialogue with the College’s collection, according to a curatorial logic that aims to enhance the proposed works by contrasting past and present. Once again, art festivals choose historic and culturally significant venues to create itineraries that can make our artistic-cultural heritage coexist with contemporary works and, at the same time, give viewers a bivalent and exciting experience.

The three artists wind their way through the historic halls, choosing the place most representative and consistent with their works. Elisa Macellari with her colorful works, collected in the “Qualcosa in meno” series, is placed inside the Art Nouveau hall, highlighting the vivid and vibrant details. Paola Tassetti’s scientific-flavored prints communicate perfectly with the 19th-century collections of animals, insects, herbaria and minerals. In fact, Tassetti proposes works that create a marriage between anatomical elements in black and white and others in color, choosing mainly plants and animals, such as fish and corals. Finally, Paolo Metaldi’s magical and surreal places entitled “Il vagabondo delle lune” are accompanied by the more than sixty thousand ancient volumes in the library rooms, contributing to a mystical ambience. At the beginning of the path, on the other hand, there are works by young student Sofia Maltempi that introduce visitors to the Festival. This underscores the importance for the Festival to support young creative people.