The Ghenie Chapels: the making of a masterpiece

In 2022, contemporary artist Adrian Ghenie was invited to create two site-specific paintings inside a Baroque church in Palermo, addressing the theme of martyrdom today. We had the honor of producing and directing a short film to tell this story.

This story began in Paris in 2017, with an encounter between Adrien Ghenie, one of the most celebrated contemporary artists, and Italian writer and cultural entrepreneur Alessandra Borghese. This encounter evolved into a friendship and brought Adrien to Palermo to create two site-specific paintings inside Chiesa della Madonna della Mazza, a baroque church restored and opened to the public after 40 years.

This short film – directed by Paolo Freschi, curated by Alessandra Borghese, and produced by us in collaboration with Fondazione Ghenie Chapel – documents the entire process of ideation and making-of the artwork. It captures the artist’s desire to provide a modern interpretation of classical religious iconography, drawing inspiration from the internet and referencing contemporary martyrs such as the victims of the Sicilian mafia, like Father Pino Puglisi, or Christians still being crucified in Syria today.

The 17-minutes documentary is also a universal reflection on creativity through the work process of an artist like Adrien, a journey that often – as in this case – took years of research and ideation.