Maria D. Rapicavoli: MAXIPROCESSO

The Museo Civico di Castelbuono presents MAXIPROCESSO, a photographic installation by Maria D. Rapicavoli (Catania, 1976), curated by Laura Barreca and Giovanna Fiume.

Marking the fortieth anniversary of the Palermo Maxi Trial (1986–2026), the project revisits one of the most consequential judicial proceedings in contemporary Italian history, which exposed Cosa Nostra as an organised criminal system through an unprecedented body of evidence. Following its inaugural presentation at the Palermo Court of Appeal in June 2026, the installation continues its journey across Italy. At the Museo Civico di Castelbuono, thirty photographs transform the judicial records of the Maxi Trial into monumental visual presences. Files, interrogation transcripts, statements by collaborating witnesses, wiretaps and extensive documentation assembled during the preliminary investigation conducted by the anti-mafia investigative pool emerge as tangible traces of an extraordinary judicial endeavour. Through Rapicavoli’s photographic practice, documents ordinarily confined to the procedural sphere acquire a new visual and cultural dimension, revealing both the scale of the investigative work and the complexity of the evidentiary apparatus that made the trial possible.

Designed by architecture studio Supervoid, the installation establishes a dialogue between the physical weight of archival material and the historical significance of the events it records. Rather than merely illustrating the past, MAXIPROCESSO interrogates the relationship between images, documents and collective memory, bringing into focus the enduring relevance of the judicial process and the civic responsibility of preserving its legacy.

The exhibition also features Il Maxiprocesso (1986–2026), a documentary directed by Pasquale Scimeca. Combining historical archival footage with a reconstruction of key moments in the proceedings, the film situates the trial within Italy’s broader struggle against organised crime, highlighting its decisive role in exposing the structures and operational logic of the Mafia. Conceived as an evolving cultural and educational platform, the project extends beyond the exhibition through a public programme of initiatives promoted by the Museo Civico di Castelbuono. Activities involving schools, interviews with Fiammetta Borsellino, Leonardo Guarnotta, Alessandra Camassa, Giuseppe Ajala, Stefano Giordano and Piero Grasso, as public dissemination and a digital communication campaign seek to transmit the historical significance of the Maxi Trial to younger generations. Contemporary art thus becomes a means of fostering historical awareness, critical engagement and intergenerational dialogue.

Supported by Strategia Fotografia 2025, promoted by the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Italian Ministry of Culture, with the support of nctm e l’arte, an ADVANT Nctm project, MAXIPROCESSO has received the patronage of the Palermo Court of Appeal, the Trapani Court and the Palermo District Section of the National Association of Magistrates, in collaboration with the University of Palermo (DEMS). On September 21, 2026, the project received the XXXI International Award for Social Commitment 2026, dedicated to the memory of Rosario Livatino, Antonino Saetta and Gaetano Costa.

The installation has entered the Museo Civico di Castelbuono’s permanent contemporary art collection, affirming the institution’s commitment to keeping the work accessible to future audiences. Following its presentation in Castelbuono, the project is scheduled to travel to Rome, Trapani and Milan. Its continued circulation embodies a fundamental principle: historical memory must remain active within public life rather than be relegated to the archive. As Laura Barreca, Director of the Museo Civico di Castelbuono, observes: “As a public museum, today we reflect on the active role that cultural institutions can play in building a more aware, responsible, and engaged society. In Sicily, this duty assumes a still deeper meaning: here the memory of the Maxiprocesso will continue to be preserved, reinterpreted, and handed down to new generations, lending full expression to the power of contemporary art as as a tool for interpretation, dialogue, and dissemination.”

A complementary publication, MAXIPROCESSO (Lenz, Milan, 2026), brings together all 360 photographs in Rapicavoli’s series, alongside essays by Laura Barreca, Naor Ben-Yehoyada, Giovanna Fiume, Gabi Scardi, and Jane and Peter Schneider. Edited by Barreca and Fiume, the volume further explores the intersections of memory, justice and social responsibility. Available for purchase here.