A Pilates Exhibition in Italy not to be missed! Materia viva: a poetic dialogue between ceramics and Pilates
Photography Vi2o
When we hear the word ‘Pilates’, we may picture elegant studios with sculpted machines in an intimate, hushed atmosphere. We may envision the linoleum floors of dance schools or vibrant gym spaces lined with Reformers. We hardly expect to discover Pilates in the rooms of a museum, especially a ceramics museum in the hills of Piedmont. Yet in Mondovì, Italy, overlooking verdant farmland between the sea and the mountainous French border, you will find Materia viva (Living matter), an exhibition that explores the relationships between the method of J.H. Pilates, craftsmanship, and art. Only when we overcome our habit of identifying the machines and ideas of Joseph Pilates as work tools and see them with new eyes will these machines and practices become more than a training system. They encapsulate many different eras, paths, and approaches to understanding the human body, its role in our lives and in society. We may be inspired to examine different images of the body and appreciate unexplored paths to happiness and fulfillment.
The designs of J.H. Pilates highlighted in the exhibit include a Contrology Reformer, an Allegro 2 Reformer, the Magic Circle, Neck Stretcher, Foot Corrector, Chair, Ladder Barrel, Ped-o-Pole and Spine Corrector. Alongside these exhibits are rooms housing works by artists who have grappled with problems related to those faced by J.H. Pilates. Each ceramic artist chose different materials and solutions to design and craft their inventions. When Mr. Pilates was living and working between two continents the craftsmen in the ceramics industry that flourished in the valleys around the museum created vases, ceramic dinnerware, and decorative pieces. Comparison between the two stories of creativity yield an appreciation of similarities. One man spent his life working with human material to make each person more capable of expressing himself and living to the fullest. Each ceramicist working in Modovi used tools to form clay that brought art and beauty to function in daily life.
Photography Vi2o
“I firmly believe that a contemporary cultural institution, a museum, should not limit itself to preserving the past, but should transform itself into a living organism, capable of producing knowledge, surprising, dialoguing with the present, and generating new perspectives” says Christiana Fissore, director of the Mondovì Ceramics Museum and curator of the exhibition. “This conviction gave rise to Materia viva: a poetic dialogue between ceramics and Pilates. The exhibition is structured around three key concepts -origin, transformation, and presence -and includes prestigious ceramic artworks that represent the body in its gestures and dynamics alongside the iconic Pilates machines, historical photographs of Joseph Pilates' New York studio reinterpreted in a poetic key, anatomical models, manuals, and ancient anatomical tables.”
In addition to the exhibition, which runs from October 10, 2025 to January 11, 2026, Nest-Pilates at the museum has organized a series of events for teachers and enthusiasts of the Pilates Method. Visitors and teachers are offered a broad overview of the thousand voices of the Method in the beautiful rooms of the exhibition with breathtaking views of the surrounding valleys, and in the Boulegan Studio of Laura Lucchino in Cuneo. Roberto Cerini opened the schedule teaching Anatomy in 3D, restoring an artisanal and sculptural dimension to the construction of muscles with clay. One of the anatomical models sculpted in clay is included in the exhibition. Angelica Stella shared her experiences teaching movement for endometriosis. Physiotherapist and Osteopath Claudio Zimaglia brought his experiences on the circuit with professional tennis stars such as Djokovic into the Pilates studio. Fabrice Lamego brought a historical perspective by retracing Eve Gentry's approach to the vocabulary of J.H.Pilates.
Photography Vi2o
Among guest presenters the name of Elizabeth Larkam stands out. “Her talk was a moment of rare intensity,” adds Christiana, “she confirmed one of the pillars of Materia viva: form is never just what it appears to be. Form is what we perceive, what we feel, what movement makes possible. Like the clay in ceramics, the body is also a material that holds tension, density, fragility, and potential: a living material entrusted to care, capable of being shaped and guided towards its best balance.”
Photography Vi2o
“The three days with Laura, Elisa, Roberto, Pilates professionals, and enthusiasts in Mondovi and Cuneo were transformative” confirms Elizabeth. “The curated Pilates pieces in the exhibit gave me a new perspective on a movement I have lived for forty years. Disparate times and cultures seemed to merge, creating a uniquely rich present that promises a valuable Pilates future.”
Photography Vi2o
At the Museum in Mondovi we realize that Pilates is not so different from the valleys you see from the gallery windows. Valleys where rivers born from J.H. Pilates’ original idea have carved out their paths. Even today, with the flood of Pop Pilates, those valleys retain their impressive vitality and fascination. Pilates is not just a training method, but a story with a thousand rivulets that have now become rivers with consolidated banks. No different from the products protected and safeguarded by the Slow Food movement, born a few kilometers from the museum, no different from the infinite variations of craftsmanship that has created and continues to create unique pieces that fill the world with the beauty of Made in Italy. We are accustomed to thinking of Pilates in studios, dance schools, and gyms, but perhaps we now recognize that it exists in our minds and even in our hearts.
Photography Vi2o
Nest-Pilates at the museum is produced by:
Roberto Cerini, Balanced Body® Educator and author of “Springs”, Trieste, Italy
Elisa Pavan, Balanced Body® Educator and owner of Idea Pilates, Vicenza, Italy
Laura Lucchino, owner of Boulegan Studio, Cuneo, Italy
Photography Laura Lucchino
The Exhibition runs from October 10, 2025 to January 11, 2026.
For additional information please contact Elisa Pavan, www.ideapilates.com
Materia Viva" is curated by Christiana Fissore; in partnership with Boulegan/Idea Pilates/Roberto Cerini; with the special collaboration of Balanced Body® and Genesi Pilates Company. Promoted by the “Vecchia Mondovì” Ceramics Museum Foundation and funded by the Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo Foundation.
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