MAIIA Museum to Open Second Location in Palermo's Former Gulì Textile Factory

The MAIIA Museum (Museum of Artificial Intelligence & Immersive Art) will establish its second location in Palermo, Italy, within a former industrial site that once housed the historic Gulì textile factory. The project is led by the French foundation B&B Riccobono Art of the Future, founded by Bernard and Brigitte Riccobono. The Palermo venue will be situated in the Noce neighborhood, a working-class area with social challenges, marking a significant urban regeneration effort. The museum's design will be handled by the Ora-ïto studio, with curatorial input from Dominique Moulon and strategic consultation from Sandro Debono. The institution aims to explore digital-era artistic experiences through immersive exhibitions, artist residencies, workshops, and interactive installations. This follows the completion of MAIIA's first location in Valletta, Malta, which was developed with Museum Studio and architects DeMicoli & Associates and Mattermake. The foundation previously supported Louis-Paul Caron's exhibition at the 2026 Malta Biennale. The Palermo initiative represents another major cultural investment in the city, following earlier developments like Palazzo Butera's transformation by collectors Francesca and Massimo Valsecchi and Hauser & Wirth's acquisition of Palazzo Forcella De Seta. The Gulì factory, founded in 1882 by Giuseppe Gulì, was a prominent Sicilian textile manufacturer that ceased operations in 2006. The museum project seeks to create a Mediterranean network of innovative cultural spaces within historic buildings.