"An archive of extinction, a collection of what is disappearing and the specter of a lost future."
The artistic research of the duo UCCI UCCI, composed of Salvatore Crucitti and Gloria Zeppilli, is grounded in the intersection of anthropological, ethnographic, and archival studies and practices. The projects stem from a deep immersion within a specific group or community, a process that activates its aesthetic, anthropological, and environmental significance.
The body of work is conceived as an archive of extinction, which allows for the mapping of community environments and relationships, enabling a political, anthropological, and poetic analysis. The practice is guided by the intention to evoke anthropic landscapes, subcultures, and hidden cultures (or those on the verge of extinction), in order to investigate the collective specter tied to their lost future (hauntology).
UCCI UCCI adopts an interdisciplinary and relational artistic practice. The projects are conceived as hypertextual objects that maintain a strong relationship with the audience.
For this purpose, the performative element plays a key role, manifesting in interdisciplinary experimentation.
BIO
In 2025, on the occasion of the European Capital of Culture Nova Gorica–Gorizia (Slovenia–Italy), the duo presents the work “Okužba. Poročilo o kugi” at Kromberk Castle, with the support of Small Project Fund GO! 2025, Realtà Aumentate, 47_04, in collaboration with the Goriški Muzej. They also take part in the 68th edition of the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto with the performance HÓS, at the Cantiere Oberdan, La MaMa Umbria International, and in the 2025 edition of Seminaria Biennale in Maranola (FM).
In 2024, the duo became finalists at La Biennale College Teatro 2024 (La Biennale di Venezia) with the performance "HÒS." They won Mittelyoung 2024 (Mittelfest) with Twisted World, recognized for its focus on "current events, risk, innovation, and complexity of construction." They produced the film Crossing the Dragon with the support of the European platform Magic Carpets EU and Latitudo Art Projects. They also founded the scientific journal IMPURE: Journal of Art and Anthropology, which brings together international artists, researchers, and anthropologists. Additionally, they are researchers at the Societas Raffaello Sanzio Historical Archive.
In 2023, the duo presented the solo exhibitions “Artificial Hells” at Quartier Am Hafen and “Sedimenti” at the Italian Cultural Institute in Cologne, Germany. They conducted research between Art and Anthropology at the International Performance Art Archive Black Kit in Cologne. They created the work “Canto III” with the support of the LAB EUROPE artist residency at the Hase 29 Gallery in Osnabrück, Germany.
In 2022, the duo won the ArtèEuropa award, granted by the European Parliament, the Ragnarock association, and the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. In the same year, they received a special mention at the “Premio Scenario Infanzia.”
In 2021, the duo participated in and won the award for Best Performance at the 64th Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, as part of the European Young Theatre.
Gloria Zeppilli (1998) graduated in Sculpture and Sculpture and New Technologies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, with thesis advisor Paolo Canevari. She is currently attending the Master’s program Performing Arts as Critical Practice at Malmö Theatre Academy, Lund University, under the direction of Edit Kaldor.
Salvatore Crucitti (1998) studied Theories and Techniques of Audiovisual Media at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, and graduated in Directing in 2022 from the National Academy of Dramatic Art “Silvio d’Amico.” He is currently attending the Master’s program Performing Arts as Critical Practice at Malmö Theatre Academy, Lund University, under the direction of Edit Kaldor.
In 2020, Salvatore Crucitti and Gloria Zeppilli founded the artistic research duo UCCI UCCI and, in 2024, the scientific journal IMPURE. Journal of Art and Anthropology, together with the anthropologist Francesco Marano.
