“Terracotta Armies”

In collaboration with the artist Chiara Camoni and the Centro di Sperimentazione collective

Pirelli HangarBicocca summer camps are back! From 10 to 28 June 2024, children aged between 7 and 11 will have a unique opportunity to come face to face with contemporary art. They will be able to immerse themselves in the vast exhibition spaces and work together with the collective of the Centro di Sperimentazione founded by the artist Chiara Camoni.

Eserciti di terracotta ("Terracotta Armies") brings to mind the remarkable and entirely unexpected archaeological discovery in China that brought to light a genuine masterpiece of craftsmanship in the form of over 8000 terracotta warriors. The camp activities involve exploring themes such as the fascination of the unexpected, the passion for archaeology, the joyful interplay between the creation of countless figures and a fragile material, terracotta. As well as the endless possibilities for storytelling and the transformative nature of clay. Camoni herself says “A ball of clay can be both a beginning and an end – a ball, a warrior, a bear, a castle, the entire universe, and then just a ball again..."

Designed and developed by Chiara Camoni together with the Centro di Sperimentazione collective and the Pirelli HangarBicocca arts tutors, the project emerged from the temporary exhibition Call and Gather. Sisters. Moths and Flame Twisters. Lioness Bones, Snakes and Stones by Chiara Camoni, whose works illustrate her connections with nature, with people, and with everyday objects, but also with the passing of time. Walking by her works is indeed like wandering through different historical periods and ages while also taking a leap into the world of fairy tales and magic.

The children and teenagers will engage in daily activities that involve the languages of art and the wonders of nature. The activities focus on the importance of curiosity as the children learn to model clay and find out how imagination and creativity have the power to make the seemingly impossible possible.

Through a combination of artistic expression, games, literary explorations and outings in the area, the participants will turn into authentic ceramists, inventing imaginative clay creatures that will become protagonists in stories created by all the young people working together. In a grand collective effort, all the figures created over the three weeks will come together at Pirelli HangarBicocca, where they will unite to form a novel and uniquely original terracotta army.

Every morning, children aged between 7 and 11 will be greeted by the Pirelli HangarBicocca arts tutors, who will take them on a journey of discovery filled with wonders and new challenges to be tackled with imagination and a sense of fun.

Pirelli HangarBicocca summer camps, together with the weekend events with creative and Family Lab courses, are part of the Edu Summer 2024 programme, which brings children and teenagers into contact with experts from various different sectors.

Chiara Camoni (1974, Piacenza) lives and works in Seravezza, in the Apuan Alps, Tuscany. Her practice consists of drawing, plant prints, video and sculpture, particularly with ceramics. Her works often arise from collaboration with friends and family, as informal and spontaneous groups or as more institutional seminars and workshops. The "Centro di Sperimentazione" has been present for some years alongside the artist as a container for different forms of shared authorship. Together with other artists she founded MAGra, Museum of Contemporary Art in Granara, and the Vladivostok Group. With Cecilia Canziani she has been developing the seminar series "La Giusta Misura" for several years.