Fantastica, the New Quadriennale

The 18th Quadriennale d’Arte presents itself as a collective journey into Italian art of the new millennium, featuring 54 artists - 16 under the age of 35 - and no fewer than 45 first-time participants. Titled Fantastica, the exhibition unfolds across five sections, each entrusted to a different curator, exploring key themes of contemporary creativity. Luca Massimo Barbero reflects on self-portraiture as self-representation and a mirror of fluid identity. Francesco Bonami envisions “autonomous rooms” for each artist, independent spaces without the need for a unifying narrative. With The Time of Images, Emanuela Mazzonis di Pralafera examines the pervasiveness of photography, poised between reality and fiction. Francesco Stocchi curates a deliberately untitled section, where the exhibition itself becomes a collective artwork. Finally, Alessandra Troncone addresses the notion of the unfinished body - human, animal, or mechanical - as an open field for new identities and possible futures. A mosaic that captures the vitality and plurality of today’s Italian art scene.