In-person Community Arts & Culture

Opening reception for Faces of Exile: The Arrusi and the Policing of Gender and Sexuality in Fascist Italy

Monday, March 9, 2026
5:00pm to 7:00pm

MacEwan University
Free
More Information Register/Tickets
March
9


A reception and panel discussion to celebrate the launch of a photographic exhibition uncovering the forgotten stories of 45 men arrested for homosexuality in Italy in 1939. Meet the artist, enjoy refreshments, and engage in conversations about power, persecution, and the institutional policing of sex, sexuality, and gender.

In early 1939, forty-five men from Catania, Sicily, were arrested for homosexuality and exiled to the island of San Domino off the coast of Italy. The men, aged 18 to 54, were charged with "passive pederasty," a crime against masculinity, morality, and the integrity of the "Italian race." Through archival research and on-site photography, Luana Rigolli uncovers the forgotten stories and the power of a totalitarian state intent on erasing them. These photographs offer a chilling glimpse into the social climate and the frequently overlooked history of the persecution of homosexuals in Mussolini's Italy. After touring internationally, her work will be exhibited March 1- April 5, 2026, at MacEwan Library.

Join us for a reception and panel discussion to celebrate the launch of this photographic exhibition. Meet the artist, enjoy refreshments, and engage in conversations about power, persecution, and the institutional policing of sex, sexuality, and gender.

Panellists: Dr. Alessio Ponzio (MacEwan University), Dr. Jennifer Evans (Carleton University), and artist/photographer Dr. Luana Rigolli (Rome, Italy).

Moderator: Dr. Kelly Summers (MacEwan University).

Opening reception date: Monday, March 9, 2026
Time: 5:00-7:00 p.m. (panel discussion 5:30-6:30 p.m.)
Location: MacEwan Library (Building 6, 2nd Floor)
All are welcome to attend.
Light refreshments will be served.
ASL interpreter available upon request.


MacEwan University

John L. Haar Library

10700 104 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB, T5J 4S2


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