VATICAN CITY — The Vatican’s Apostolic Library has collaborated with Dior’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri, well-known Italian musician Jovanotti, and Icelandic artist Kristjana S Williams for an upcoming exhibition that focuses on the world tours of the late 19th century.
Entitled “En Route,” this event marks the sixth installment in a continuing series designed to create a dialogue between the rich heritage of the Vatican library, which dates back to the 4th century, and modern artistic expressions.
Chiuri, Jovanotti, and Williams have been brought on board to delve into the narratives of specific travelers while examining the contemporary relevance of a newly discovered collection of 1,200 newspapers. These articles were collected by diplomat and scholar Cesare Poma from various remote locations across the globe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In her contribution, Chiuri highlighted the stories of six Victorian women who, defying the norms of their time, embarked on journeys around the world independently. Collaborating with the Chanakya School of Craft in India, she has produced tapestries that illustrate the paths these women took during their travels.
“It was fascinating to observe how they felt compelled to change their clothing mid-journey—particularly for comfort while traveling, especially on a bicycle,” Chiuri noted during a press preview on Friday. “The first thing they removed was the corset.”
Meanwhile, Jovanotti—a singer-songwriter with a passion for travel—will present a bicycle that has accompanied him on travels across various countries, including China, Iran, Pakistan, New Zealand, and much of Latin America. In addition to his bike, he showcases a unique disco ball, transformed into a globe featuring silver mirrored sections symbolizing the oceans and gold panels representing land.
“Bringing a disco ball to the Vatican was an amusing idea,” he remarked with a smile.
The exhibition draws its name from a publication by two French journalists, Lucien Leroy and Henri Papillaud, who chronicled their global explorations from 1895 to 1897, partly as a means to fund their journeys. “En Route” is scheduled to run from February 15 to December 20.
