Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – The Antonio Presti Foundation inaugurated the “Pegasus Gate,” the new dream gate of the Magma Museum of Contemporary Art in Catania's Librino neighborhood. The gate is composed of 5.000 artifacts made by children, along with the work 'Pegasus – The Winged Horse,' during a day of celebration attended by institutions, families, and neighborhood associations.
In Librino, even the sky seems to have come closer to earth to embrace children's dreams. A neighborhood painted entirely in blue, the color of infinity, freedom, and imagination, welcomed the inauguration this morning of "Gate of Pegasus," the evocative new work by the Magma Museum of Contemporary Art. The work is part of the Triennale della Contemporaneità, promoted by the Sicilian Region in collaboration with the Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Charitable Fund, and donated to the community by the Antonio Presti Foundation.
A great community celebration, in which art, music, poetry, and emotion intertwined, transforming everyday places into symbolic spaces, where dreams become possibilities and beauty becomes a collective experience.
In the open space in front of the Campanella Sturzo Comprehensive Institute, on Viale Bummacaro, the monumental "Pegasus – The Winged Horse," created by artist Antonello Bonanno Conti, welcomed children, families, teachers, residents, and government officials. Adding to the sculpture's significance were 5.000 terracotta artifacts created by the children of Librino, along with their mothers, through a series of artistic and educational workshops involving all the neighborhood schools.
Not just tiles, but small treasure chests of dreams, thoughts, and desires, entrusted to matter and destined to become a collective heritage, composing the 'Gate of Pegasus'. Each artifact holds a story and contributes to creating a greater collective narrative, in which the imagination of the little ones intertwines with the memories and hopes of their families. The color blue accompanied the opening day, transforming the atmosphere and becoming the common thread of a greater collective narrative. Even a small café next to the school chose to embrace the spirit of the event, transforming itself from "Il Catorcino" into the "Coffee Bar of Dreams": a simple yet profoundly significant detail, capable of expressing better than any words how art can transcend the confines of a single work and positively impact the daily life of a community. Because this is precisely one of the most important aspects of the MAGMA project: beauty does not remain confined to the artistic dimension, but enters the streets, schools, meeting places, businesses, and above all, people's consciences.
"The most powerful weapons we can give our children are knowledge and dreams," said Antonio Presti. "In one hand they must hold books, in the other the ability to dream. Because knowing means acquiring awareness, but dreaming means having the freedom to imagine what does not yet exist. Today, the Winged Horse, this extraordinary horse of light, restores a new vision to Librino: that of dreams and, above all, of dreaming. A vision that the children have transformed into reality through their hands, entrusting their thoughts, desires, and hopes to the five thousand terracotta artifacts that make up the Pegasus Gate. But if today we celebrate the beauty of this monumental sculpture, we must remember that the true work of art is not just what we see. The true work is the artistic process, it is sharing, it is the hands of the children and mothers who worked together, it is this people who today find themselves and recognize themselves in beauty." A thought that represents the "politics of beauty" pursued by the artist and patron Presti for thirty years and that links him to Librino, where art has become a tool for the regeneration not only of urban spaces, but above all of consciences.
"For over thirty years, I have shared with Librino a journey of encounters, listening, and beauty. Little by little, we have sought to give the neighborhood a different vision, a new opportunity to look at itself and its future. It was like grafting beauty onto a wounded plant, which needed, above all, the heart to flourish again. And this is precisely the strength of artists: the power of the heart, capable of transforming matter into emotion, art into participation, and beauty into collective consciousness," concluded Antonio Presti. His words capture the true meaning of Magma, a project in which the monumental work represents only the visible part of a deeper process, constructed through the involvement of schools, families, and the entire community. Librino's true transformation lies not only in the works that reshape its landscape, but in its ability to educate new generations to recognize their own value, to cultivate knowledge, and to never stop dreaming.
The Pegasus Gate represents another chapter in the major urban and cultural regeneration project promoted by the Antonio Presti Foundation, as part of the Triennale della Contemporaneità sponsored by the Sicilian Region. The heart of the work is the monumental Winged Horse, a sculpture that seems to defy gravity, projecting its wings skyward. Crafted from mirrored stainless steel, Pegasus captures the sunlight, reflecting clouds, buildings, and children's faces, continually changing appearance throughout the day. It is a horse of light, a work that reflects the world but, above all, invites us to imagine a new one. Light thus becomes a metaphor for knowledge, awareness, and rebirth. It not only illuminates an urban space, but suggests a new way of looking at reality, transforming a passageway into a space of beauty and belonging. The meaning of Pegasus is rooted in the popular imagination of Catania and in the desire to transform a symbol deeply rooted in the local culture.
The horse, often associated with work, illegal horse racing, exploitation, and the culinary tradition of horsemeat, rediscovers its noblest dimension through art. Antonio Presti chooses to free it from the carriage, from everything that binds it to the ground, to give it wings. The horse must no longer drag a burden, but carry a dream. It must no longer represent a force to be dominated, but the freedom to imagine the impossible. This is a message addressed above all to the younger generations, called to understand that knowledge and dreams are not separate dimensions, but complementary tools for building one's future. In Librino, dreams thus become a form of cultural redemption, a right to be defended and cultivated through education, art, and knowledge.
The opening ceremony began with the voices of the Piccolo Coro Santa Maria dell'Idria di Viagrande, who opened the event with music, creating an atmosphere of great participation and emotion. Children from the Librino schools followed with songs, poems, interpretations, and performances dedicated to the symbolic value of the horse, its wings, and the freedom to dream. The Winged Horse thus became the protagonist of a choral tale, in which the little ones gave voice to their imagination, transforming music and words into tools for expression and sharing. A celebration that engaged teachers, parents, and school administrators, reinforcing the profound meaning of an educational journey in which school is not just a place of learning, but a space in which to cultivate sensitivity, creativity, and awareness. The event also featured the theatrical performance "Dedalo Errante – Ten Artists for Librino," a performance by the group "Naponos – I Professionisti del Teatro."
Catania schools involved in the project include Campanella Sturzo, Brancati, Dusmet, San Giorgio, Rita Atria, Musco, and Pestalozzi, along with the Mary Poppins Educational and Welfare Institute and the Cirino La Rosa ETS Foundation. Numerous civil and military authorities attended the inauguration, demonstrating their commitment to the cultural and social program promoted by the MAGMA Museum. Those in attendance included the Mayor of Catania, Enrico Trantino, City Council President Seby Anastasi, Deputy Mayor Massimo Pesce, Councilor Giovanni Petralia, and Regional Representative Salvo Tomarchio. Also in attendance were the Director of the Horse Breeding Institute, Michelangelo Bentivegna, the school principals of the participating schools, and representatives of law enforcement agencies, including Alessio Puglisi, Director of the Librino Police Station, Marshal Massimo Florio, Commander of the Fontanarossa Carabinieri Station, and Beatrice Camassa of the Carabinieri.
"This is yet another gesture of care for Librino, once again the fruit of the extraordinary imagination and energy of Antonio Presti, whom I will never stop thanking for everything he continues to do for this neighborhood and for our city. His ability to engage young people through an innovative method, making them protagonists in the creative process, represents an added value to this experience. The Winged Horse is yet another artistic event made available to the citizens of Librino, and especially to the students who contributed to its creation. We, as a Municipality, are also doing our part. We have a series of projects underway in Librino, part of a broader strategy of attention and redevelopment that involves the entire city. We believe that the improvement of urban spaces must proceed alongside the cultural and social growth of the communities," commented Catania Mayor Enrico Trantino.
Antonello Bonanno Conti, creator of the monumental Winged Horse, also spoke about the work's creative journey. He recalled: "I imagined Pegasus as a sculpture of light, capable of reflecting the sky, clouds, and people's faces. His wings stretched upwards invite every child to ask themselves how far their dreams can reach." The work is the result of approximately three years of work, during which the artist developed a complex design and construction process. From the initial cardboard and wood models to the construction of the supporting structure, to the cladding with ultra-thin sheets of mirrored stainless steel just 0,8 millimeters thick, each phase required precision, research, and manual skill. The structure was assembled using tens of thousands of rivets, without the use of welding. The result is a work that seems to shed the weight of its material to become light, welcoming onto its surface the reflection of the sky and the life of the neighborhood. Further enhancing the inauguration was the presence of poet and writer Maria Attanasio, who donated one of her poems to the children and the entire Librino community. A gesture of great sensitivity, combining the power of poetic words with the meaning of the Winged Horse. Poetry becomes a further gift of beauty, ideally entrusted to the new generations so that they can find in words, as in art, a tool for interpreting the world and imagining new possibilities. The verses symbolically unite with the wings of Pegasus, giving voice to the desire for freedom and the ability to transcend the boundaries of the visible. With her words, Maria Attanasio invites us to reflect on the work "where the elsewhere that will be begins" and inhabit it, because "No one is on the periphery of their own existence," meaning no place and no person can be considered peripheral to their own existence.
A message perfectly consistent with Antonio Presti's vision, for which beauty should not simply be contemplated, but become daily nourishment for the soul, an opportunity for knowledge and growth. With the inauguration of the "Gate of Pegasus," Magma, the large open-air contemporary art museum conceived by Antonio Presti, who for over thirty years has been building a participatory urban and cultural regeneration project in Librino, is further enriched. From the "Gate of Beauty" to the "Gate of Butterflies," from the "Gate of Knowledge" to the "Gate of Dreams," each work represents a piece of a project that has progressively transformed passageways into spaces of connection, memory, and collective identity.
A museum without walls, where art enters into everyday life, engages with people, and helps restore a new narrative to the neighborhood. The transformation involves not only the exterior appearance of the spaces, but above all the way they are perceived and experienced by residents. And it is precisely the image of Librino painted blue, of the children singing, of the mothers sharing the day's excitement, and even of that small café that has become the Coffee Bar of Dreams, that conveys the most authentic dimension of this experience. Beauty has transcended the confines of the artwork, engaging the community and becoming part of its daily life. This is perhaps the most significant image to be preserved from the inauguration: a neighborhood that doesn't simply welcome a monument, but chooses to participate in its meaning, making it part of its identity. Because Antonio Presti's greatest dream is not only to see Pegasus fly over Librino, but to know that every child, looking at those wings, can learn to recognize their own. And in that blue-dressed Librino, among the children's voices and the light reflected on the steel, the dream found a new home.
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