The most awaited moment of the 12th edition of the COMEL Award has arrived: the opening of the exhibition Aluminium, the Silent Strength, which will showcase the 13 finalist works selected in recent weeks by a jury of experts chaired by Professor Giorgio Agnisola.

On Saturday, October 18 at 6:00 p.m., the Spazio COMEL Contemporary Art gallery in Latina will welcome the public, who will have the opportunity to view the artworks in person and vote for those that best interpret this year’s theme, “the silent strength.” Aluminium is a metal that may appear fragile and delicate at first glance, yet it conceals extraordinary strength and resilience. Used in cooking, packaging, construction, and transportation, it withstands intense external stress without ever losing its essential properties. In much the same way, people—especially in their most difficult moments—find the strength to rise again, enriched by experience and ready to continue their journey.

Once again, the exhibition will feature works of painting, photography, sculpture, and installation that highlight the expressive potential of aluminium, shaped in unusual and original ways, yielding results that continue to surprise both organizers and audiences year after year.

Italy is, as always, well represented, but this year’s finalists also include artists from across Europe and beyond: from Spain, Lithuania, Austria, Albania, and even China.

The exhibition will be open daily (except November 1) from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Visitors may vote for their three favorite works until Sunday, November 2. The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, November 8 at 6:00 p.m., during which the winner of the 12th edition of the COMEL Award—who will also receive a cash prize—and the winner of the COMEL Audience Award will be announced. Both artists will return to Latina for a solo exhibition.

The 13 Finalists: Miguel Auria, Ourense, Spain – Photography, Margherita Cavallo, Osimo (AN), Italy – Sculpture, Alice Corbetta, Milan, Italy – Design Sigita Dackevičiūtė, Kaunas, Lithuania – Sculpture, Roberto Giordani, Mercato Saraceno (FC), Italy – Sculpture and Installation, Fatma Ibrahimi, Durrës, Albania – Painting, Fabrizio Lucchesi, Florence, Italy – Sculpture and Installation, Simona Mastropietro, Milan, Italy – Painting Luisa Pineri, Milan, Italy – Sculpture and Installation, Claudio Sapienza, Catania, Italy – Sculpture and Installation, Mario Viezzoli, Trieste, Italy – Sculpture and Installation, Katharina Maria Wimmer, Vienna, Austria – Writing / Engraving, Xin Zhang, Huai’an, China / Bologna, Italy – Installation.