Expo 2025 Osaka: Week Dedicated to Basilicata Opens at Italy Pavilion

Osaka: An inauguration ceremony at the Italy Pavilion has opened the week dedicated to the Basilicata region at Expo 2025 Osaka. The Region, over the course of seven days, will showcase many of its trademark features, including the most popular as well as the least-known such as its role in the aerospace sector.

According to Ansa News Agency, the exhibition space showcases Basilicata through a multisensorial installation called Motherland, featuring a video portraying a garden where images, sounds, and smells merge in a space where technology meets nature. The work, created by visual artist Silvio Giordano, was commissioned by the Agriculture Department in cooperation with the department’s rural development agency. The installation represents the theme of nature, as well as the sectors of aerospace and mechatronics.

Carmine Cicala, the councillor for agricultural, food, and forestry policies, emphasized Basilicata’s “ability” to “innovate within tradition,” a concept he noted Japan has mastered over the years. Furthermore, he highlighted the cultural similarities between Basilicata and Japan, exemplified by the traditional “anthropological masks of Lucania” and those found in Japan. The exhibition area features digitally recreated archaic and symbolic masks of the region’s Carnival through generative artificial intelligence.

Basilicata is also displaying artwork and artisanal pieces, including Manuela Telesca’s sculptural jewels representing the Sassi, ancient cave dwellings in Matera’s historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. Works by Nuova Libbaneria Mediterranea, which uses vegetable fibers to create music rugs and jewels, and ceramic art by Giustina Piglia are also showcased.

The exhibition includes Forme Srls’ 3D printed pottery recreating the ‘chichimo’, an ancient container for water and wine. Additionally, Damiana Spoto’s graphic patterns portray the region’s woods on scarves and fabrics. Antonella Torre’s precious Soutache trimmings in fabric and stones, and Marianna Martina D’Aquino’s ancient loom are displayed, alongside traditional Carnival figures like the Mask of Tricarico and the Rumit of Satriano.

Basilicata isn’t only highlighting its art; technology is a key focus of the week at the Italy Pavilion. Events on mechatronics and sustainable mobility, along with a workshop titled ‘ReRural: We Live in Smart Village’, showcase the region’s technological advancements. Representatives of Japanese companies investing in the region will share their experiences at an event organized with the Business and Made in Italy Ministry, ‘Japan talks about Italy, Investing in Basilicata’.

Mario Vattani, the Commissioner General for Italy at Expo 2025 Osaka, expressed enthusiasm about the exhibit, noting its appeal to tens of thousands of Japanese visitors. He emphasized the importance of showcasing Basilicata’s innovation, particularly the aerospace cluster, as part of the visitor experience. Vattani concluded that the Italy Pavilion serves as a platform for Italian companies to present their excellencies in Asia, a region crucial to Italy’s economy.