Beatrice Celli

Beatrice Celli (1992, Italy) lives between Castelli (Abruzzo) and Marseille. Her practice is rooted in the transmission of the mystical culture of her native region. Micro-stories, humble materials, and artisanal craftsmanship form her syncretic, visionary, and layered folklore, opening up new connections to the invisible. A 2019 graduate of Villa Arson (Nice), her work has been exhibited at venues including MACRO in Rome, MACTE in Termoli, Villa Arson, La Villette in Paris, 6B in Saint-Denis, and La Condition Publique in Roubaix. She has also participated in several residencies, including Thankyouforcoming (Kaunas), In-Ruins (Sibari), Is.Land (Procida), and SIM Residency (Reykjavík).

The ANIMAMANZIA project conducts theoretical and experimental research on forms of popular religiosity and the material practices of the sacred, with a particular focus on the folk Christianity of Southern Italy and its more corporeal expressions. Drawing on the collections of the Museo delle Civiltà—which include ex-votos, apotropaic objects, and domestic devotional objects—the project explores the relationships between gesture, material, and the symbolic construction of the sacred. The research combines a theoretical approach, situated observation, and dialogue with anthropology, while developing devotional practices that challenge convention to re-activate our relationships with the invisible and the irrational.