In Milan cloistered nuns and prisoners in the exhibition “A world inside” by Eliana Gagliardoni

From 6 to 19 September at the Basilica San Carlo it will be possible to visit the free exhibition “A world inside” by Eliana Gagliardoni.

The exhibition

The exhibition is a photographic journey to document two worlds apparently distant from each other, but in many respects very similar and complementary: that of the cloistered nuns and that of the inmates. All without any morbid curiosity and without prejudices, but rather with great sensitivity and attention. Monasteries and prisons are therefore the focus of the exhibition “A world 'inside' – Enclosure and prison”, curated by Eliana Gagliardoni, which will be inaugurated on Monday 6 September in the Basilica of San Carlo al Corso, located in the square of the same name, along the course Vittorio Emanuele, in Milan.

The project

For the realization of this project, which required over a year of work, Eliana Gagliardoni photographed the cloistered nuns of three monasteries – two of the order of Benedictines and one of the Carmelite order – to be precise the Monastery of San Benedetto in Via Bellotti, in Milan, the monastic community of the Benedictines of the abbey of Viboldone, a hamlet of San Giuliano Milanese, and the Monastery of Santa Maria del Monte Carmelo di Concenedo, in the province of Lecco. Very few photographers have been allowed to enter a monastery to photograph the cloister and, in this sense, Eliana Gagliardoni was perhaps the only one to have obtained this privilege thanks to the special concession made to her by the Episcopal Vicar of the Diocese of Milan. After receiving the authorization from the Ministry of Grace and Justice of Rome, Gagliardoni finally entered the Bollate prison, where she portrayed women inmates.

between these two realities the idea of ​​giving life to the exhibition “A world 'inside'” was born, already proposed with great success in January 2020 in the of the Ancient Oratory of the Passion of the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio and now, in after almost two years, set up again in the setting of another ecclesiastical location of great value in the center of Milan. “Beyond high walls and windows with bars that the eye cannot go beyond – explains Eliana Gagliardoni – there are lives, hidden realities. These are lives that intrigue, sometimes make people suspicious or generate prejudicial opinions. How many people, like me, have wondered what the meaning of a life as a recluse is? Cloistered nuns and women prisoners: the combination might seem a stretch, but the possibility of an 'inner growth', although it starts and progresses in very different and opposing contexts, turns out to be a great opportunity for both. These are two apparently distinct and distant worlds, but invisibly connected by a powerful tool: Prayer. The cloistered nuns pray, not only for themselves, but also for those who ask for help and, in this sense, they pray above all for those who live in prison, often maintaining correspondence with men and women inmates “.

Eliana Gagliardoni was given the opportunity to meet all these women, to cross the doors of their 'worlds' and to share their experience for a few hours. Through this project, made possible thanks to the precious contribution, support and collaboration of Caritas Ambrosiana and Don Marco Recalcati, chaplain of the Milanese prison of San Vittore, the photographer was able to meet people of great spiritual stature and people who have made mistakes and are knowingly paying for their mistakes. “Both of them – he concludes – welcomed me with kindness, benevolence and friendship and to all of them, without distinction, I reserve my gratitude”.

The works (also) for sale

For the entire duration of the photographic exhibition both the exhibited works and the caskets containing the most significant photographs will be on sale, interspersed with transparent tissues with sentences of high spiritual value written by the cloistered nuns, who participated and gave their personal contribution to the realization of the project. There is also a solidarity aspect. At the end of the exhibition, in fact, the proceeds of this sale will be partly donated to Don Marco Recalcati in favor of particularly needy inmates of the San Vittore prison and their families who, due to the imprisonment of their relative, are in conditions of serious discomfort and difficulty.

The photographic exhibition “A world 'inside'” will be open until September 19.

Admission is free and limited, in the full compliance with the social distancing imposed by the health emergency.