Raffaele Palma
Raffaele Palma (born July 30, 1953 in Torino) is one of the most eclectic Italian satirical artists, and humorists. The holder of the Premio Satira Politica Forte dei Marmi a prize for Political Satire in the sculpture section of a national competition held in Tuscany, he has also organised numerous exhibitions himself in Italy, in various institutional contexts. He’s also the author of various works on humorism, several of which have been published by the press of Marco Valerio Edizioni of Torino.
Biographical Notes
Raffaele Palma is an author with a solid artistic formation, having graduated at Turin's Fine Arts Institute, Accademia di Belle Arti di Torino, where he studied the works of several outstanding painters. As well as having published numerous works, he has curated many exhibitions and shows, which have contributed in Italy to the development of new innovations in the field of humorism in the visual arts.
Raffaele Palma is also an eclectic educator, and in 1984, together with Giorgio Cavallo, another Italian social satirist, he founded in Turin the CAUS - Centro Arti Umoristiche e Satiriche, Centre of Humorous and Satirical Arts.
Institutional and Social Commitments
Raffaele Palma was one of the first people in Italy to develop national interest in the themes of Comedy and Humorism as sources of wellbeing and health, as well as means of resolving psychological and social conflicts, especially in the context of public institutions. In April 1989 he organised the important Workshop Sorriso e Salute (Say “Cheese!” and stay Healthy) under the patronage of the Ordine Nazionale dei Medici and the Ordine Nazionale dei Farmacisti, the Italian Registers of Doctors and Pharmacists, at Turin’s Centro Incontro. On the same theme, he also organised seminars on “Laughter as Therapy” at Turin Medical School's Institute of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapy, Facoltà di Medicina di Torino, Istituto di Farmacologia e Terapie Sperimentali. He’s also taught Humorism and Satire for degree courses at Turin University Education Faculty, Facoltà di Magistero di Torino, and has been a consultant on humorism for the City of Turin Education Department, Assessorato all'Istruzione, Comune di Torino, where he organised courses to update teachers during the 1980s and 1990s.
Calligraphy
Another of his interesting fields of enquiry, unfortunately neglected by the media, is his reawakening of interest in Calligraphy in many workshops, meetings and exhibitions he has organised to explore the design, of alphabets, initials, numbers and trade marks with links to the local area. At present, he runs courses in Calligraphy in Turin schools of every type and level, as well as organising a calligraphic workshop: L'Arte degli Amanuensi, The Scribe’s Art, at Unitre – Università della Terza Età a Turin further education institute for the elderly. Several of his books on humorism have been published in Italy by Marco Valerio Edizioni.
Chronology of works
- Senza Parole (1980)
- In soprannome del Popolo Italiano (1983)
- La pianta del riso - Guida alla didattica dell'humour (1985)
- L'albero della cova - Humour e habitat (1987)
- Torino arguta - Guida alla città ed ai musei di Torino (1987)
- Sul martirio e sulle pene (1989)
- Autoironia (1992)
- Dio sorride. Compatiamolo! - 500 aforismi, massime, proverbi, epitaffi, apoftegmi (1993)
- W.C. - 100 aforismi lascivi e massime liscive (1994)
- Sindone le due tracce (1995)
- Sindonibus - Grafiche e aforismi attorno alla Sindone (1997)
- Io stella e la luna per traverso (1997)
- Cavalcando la notte - Saggio sull'insonnia, il sonno, la veglia e il lavoro notturno (2001)
- Mal oscuro e umor nero - Saggio sulla vita di qua e la voglia dell'aldilà (2003)
- Manuale pratico della cancellazione (2006)
Exhibitions
- Premio Satira Politica Forte dei Marmi (1980)
- Satira Politica Tridimensionale (1982)
- Ceramiche e Terrecotte Grottesce (1983)
Exhibitions of Graphic Art
- Tema: Humour e Satira (1986)
- Sussurrli d’Amor (1987)
- Il Volo del Mago Urbano – Su testi di G. Valperga (1988)
- Calligrafollia – Quando le lettere danno i numeri (1989)
- Femminilità. Il nudo nel disegno artistico (2005)
Exhibitions of Photography
- Il Grottesco nell’Architettura Torinese: Ghigni, ringhi e smorfie, dal 1500 ad oggi (1985)
- La Simbologia nell’Arte Funeraria del Cimitero Monumentale di Torino (1986)
- Il Volo del Mago Urbano – Su testi di G. Valperga (1990)
- Il Grottesco nei Decori di Susa (1992)
- Torino Smembrata: Arti, Viscere e amputazioni sui monumenti Torinesi (1994)
- Fregi & Sfregi della Torino monumentale e architettonica (1997)
- Scalinate e Dislivelli in Torino (1999)
- Torino nello Zodiaco (2008)
- Torino dalla A di androne alla Z di zerbino (2009)
- Torino Sorprendente (2010)
Exhibitions of Calligraphy
- Torino Val Ben una Cifra – Monogrammi, cifre, lettere e numeri sui palazzi e sull’araldica di *Torino (2002)
- Torino ti Prende alla Lettera – Alfabeti sulle architetture e sull’arredo urbano (2003)
- Lettere dal Piemonte (2004)
External links
- Press Review
- - Archivio Storico La Stampa
- Libero
- Il Riformista
- Metropol News
- Adn Kronos
- La Stampa
- C.A.U.S. - Centro Arti Umoristiche e Satiriche
- Rassegna Completa Opere Edite
- Ma cos'è questa crisi on YouTube
- Torino nello Zodiaco on YouTube
- Il Mondo nell'alfabeto on YouTube
- Unitre - Università della Terza Età
- - Arsmeteo
- Regione Piemonte
- Unilibro
- Hurrarc NGO Sierra Leone Human Rights Respect Awareness Raising Campaigners
- Hurrarc NGO Sierra Leone - Human Rights Respect Awareness Raising Campaigners - 30 colour prints for Africa in a video