Promoting culture to generate shared social value

The promotion of culture is a central element of our commitment to social sustainability. Through projects, partnerships and initiatives that intertwine art, heritage, innovation and memory, we contribute to the cultural growth of the territories in which we operate. By supporting museums, exhibitions, display itineraries and enhancement initiatives, we foster long-lasting relationships with cultural institutions, artists and communities. A commitment rooted in the belief that culture is a shared asset, capable of building identity, generating opportunities and strengthening the bond between business and local communities.

Promoted by the Gallerie Estensi of Modena and the Ministry of Culture, the new exhibition layout of the “Orlando Apartment” at the Ducal Palace of Sassuolo—one of the most important Baroque residences in Northern Italy and part of the autonomous Gallerie Estensi museum—has involved five rooms in the southern wing of the Palace, previously only occasionally open to visitors. The new museum narrative illustrates the transformation of the Ducal Palace from a feudal castle into the summer and autumn residence of the Este court, through reconstruction models, videos and projections that recreate the splendor of the palace and courtly rituals. A cultural heritage that continues to deeply shape the Sassuolo area, further enhanced thanks to the contribution of numerous local stakeholders—including public bodies, ceramic companies, artisans, historical archives and technical partners—who made it possible to restore a significant chapter of local history.

The exhibition “Small Tiles. 1889–1939. The First Fifty Years of the District”, held at the Museo della Ceramica in Fiorano at the Spezzano Castle, retraces the early decades of the Modena–Reggio Emilia ceramic industry, from 1889 to the eve of the Second World War. Created with the scientific contribution of Marazzi Group and in collaboration with institutions and companies in the sector, it features around one hundred rare pieces from the main historic local manufacturers, illustrating the evolution of the first industrial productions. A special focus is dedicated to the pioneers of the district—including Filippo Marazzi, Guido Siliprandi and Antonino Dal Borgo—and their role in the development of local ceramics up to the post-war “boom.” For the first time, the exhibition also showcases the Medici Collection, over 7,000 items donated to the Municipality of Fiorano, a unique testimony to the ceramic heritage of Modena and Reggio Emilia.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the revolutionary fast single-firing patent, Marazzi presented the exhibition Gianni Berengo Gardin. Marazzi, the Fast Lines, curated by Alessandra Mauro, in the spaces of the Ducal Palace of Sassuolo, Gallerie Estensi. A series of shots, presented to the public for the first time, captures the colorful and abstract rhythm of ceramic production. The exhibition celebrates the 1974 patent that forever transformed the tile production process, revolutionizing the entire sector. The 42 previously unpublished photographs taken by Berengo Gardin in 1977 portray the dynamism of the new production lines through a surprising use of color. In a unique body of work, the artist abandons his usual black-and-white photography to explore speed, shapes and vibrant tones, offering an abstract and unusual vision of the manufacturing process.

“Luigi Ghirri. The Marazzi Years 1975–1985” is a collection of almost entirely unpublished works. These are photographs and limited-edition prints, mostly never exhibited or published, resulting from the collaboration between Luigi Ghirri and Marazzi and preserved for decades in the archives of the Emilia-based company. Thanks to Marazzi’s commitment and the collaboration with the Luigi Ghirri Archive, this visual heritage has become the focus of an important enhancement project structured around a dedicated volume, an in-depth website and an exhibition path launched at the Civic Museums of Reggio Emilia, with a cameo during Fotografia Europea 2021. The exhibition then found new life in the spaces of the Apartment of the Giants at the Ducal Palace of Sassuolo, part of the Gallerie Estensi, and concluded at the Italian Cultural Institute in Paris, where the dialogue between Ghirri’s work and the history of Marazzi’s ceramic innovation took on an international dimension.

On the occasion of the exhibition Metamorfuoco. Under the Light of Tintoretto, hosted at the Gallerie Estensi in Modena, we collaborated with British artist Simon Starling to create an immersive installation. The work brought Tintoretto’s pictorial cycle into dialogue with woodcuts and contemporary works from the Gallerie Estensi archives, inviting the public to reflect on the effects of climate change. An integral part of the installation was the special porcelain stoneware floor, designed by Starling and produced by Marazzi, conceived as a “canvas” on which the artist traced natural elements in relation to the figures in the sixteenth-century painting. Around sixty different decorations formed a unique mosaic defining a circular space designed to welcome visitors and guide them through an environment to be experienced while immersed in the light of Tintoretto’s masterpiece suspended above.

Curiosa Meravigliosa by Joan Fontcuberta represents the first permanent public artwork created as an architectural-scale ceramic composition, accessible to all and installed on the external wall of the Palazzo dei Musei in Reggio Emilia. Standing 16 meters high and 6 meters wide, the work stems from citizens’ participation: over 12,000 images were submitted and transformed by the artist—thanks to the collaboration with Marazzi—into 30 large photo-imprinted ceramic slabs. Fontcuberta describes the project as a “document-monument”: a visual fresco of contemporary society and, at the same time, a testimony destined to narrate the passing of generations as a true “collective memory capsule.” The work won the 10th Edition of the CULTURA + IMPRESA Award, in the Pro Bono VAAS Application category, one of Italy’s leading recognitions dedicated to projects that combine culture and the productive sector. Selected among 132 entries, it stood out for the quality of the dialogue built between public institutions and private partners.

Promoted by the Ministry of Culture and organized by the Fondazione Architetti di Modena, IF Industria Festival Architettura involved the main production districts of the province in a wide-ranging program dedicated to urban development and territorial regeneration. Within the framework of the Festival—which brought more than 55 initiatives, including conferences and cultural activities, to Modena and its province—Crogiolo Marazzi hosted two public events, fostering dialogue between industry, institutions and communities. “An European point of view” offered a reflection on European experiences in the regeneration of industrial districts, while “The Green Heart of the Ceramic District and the Marazzi Renaturalization” explored the district’s evolution through contributions from scholars and professionals, including the Marazzi Linear Park among the case studies, an example of integration between productive landscape, ceramic culture and community.

The study and cataloguing project of the Antonio Medici Collection, owned by the Municipality of Fiorano Modenese, enhances a heritage of over 7,000 pieces documenting the origins of the Modena–Reggio Emilia ceramic district, now internationally recognized for innovation and quality. The scientific research, carried out by the Museo della Ceramica of Fiorano Modenese with the contribution of Marazzi Group, includes cataloguing, digitization and the development of new consultation tools, providing essential materials to safeguard the memory of the territory and understand the evolution of a sector that has helped define global ceramic standards. Donated to the Municipality by Antonio Medici’s family, the collection received its first public enhancement through the exhibition Small Tiles. 1889–1939. The First Fifty Years of the District, dedicated to the origins of the Modena–Reggio Emilia ceramic industry.