The Paolo Pellion exhibition in Persano. The simple story of a photographer , edited by Marcella Beccaria and Andrea Viliani , enhances the generous and detailed donation made in 2023 by the heirs of the photographer's archive, including over 44,000 negatives, to the CRRI - Research Center of the Castello di Rivoli . For the first time, the exhibition presents a significant group of photographs by the author, including many previously unpublished, and presents an extraordinary story in which the artistic and intellectual energy of Turin and its territory is the protagonist, together with the history of the Museum itself. The exhibition takes place in collaboration with the new photography festival EXPOSED , of which it is part of the official programming. Paolo Pellion of Persano. The simple story of a photographer is supported by the 2023 Photography Strategy , promoted by the General Directorate for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture .

Set up in Room 18 of the Castello di Rivoli, the exhibition examines the activity of Paolo Pellion di Persano (Castagneto Po, Turin, 1947-2017) starting from his debut in the seventies, identifying thematic nuclei that mark his work: the travels, the social unrest of the period, the developments of Arte Povera, the work for other creative sectors and the interest in theatre. An investigation into the precision of the gaze and the role of the production of the photographic image in the artistic process, the exhibition presents itself as a unique opportunity to redefine the role of photography in artistic evolution in the context of Turin's cultural life.

A section of the exhibition is dedicated to the long relationship between Pellion and the Castello di Rivoli, an institution whose inauguration it documents in 1984 and which it follows continuously until 2012 and beyond, producing a lucid and emotionally engaging narrative that restores the rich historical, collecting and exhibition stratigraphy present in every room of the Museum. In addition to the original prints, produced by the author, the exhibition also includes documentary material, including personal objects and work tools preserved in his laboratory in Castagneto Po.