About this exhibition

Rituals structure our identities and beliefs. In Italy every year, communities come together to celebrate Catholic religious festivals in traditions that trace their origins to the Renaissance. Sculptures play a vital role in religious rituals. They were and are dressed, adorned, taken on procession, and manipulated in reenactments of sacred history. This exhibition demonstrates both how rituals activate sculptures and how sculptures breathe life into ritual practice across generations. These moving sculptures inspire devotion, spark controversy, instil fear, and allow devotees to access the divine.