Alessandro Cicoria's 'Pubblico interdetto': A Rome Show Only Children Could Enter

In Rome, artist Alessandro Cicoria staged a one-day exhibition titled 'Pubblico interdetto' at the new Trastevere space Cosmo (Piazza di Sant'Apollonia), where entry was restricted to children aged 1 to 6 years. Adults accompanying children could only access an anteroom; the children proceeded alone into the basement to experience the show without supervision. The exhibition featured Bob Dylan's song 'Man Gave Names to All the Animals' playing on loop. Curator Giuseppe Armogida of Miniera wrote the critical text, linking the show to the idea that naming things annihilates reality and imposes human dominion over the world. He argued that in development, humans lose spontaneity and an intuitive relationship with nature, while childhood is akin to a primordial state of 'learned ignorance' where senses are not dulled. After the visit, children recounted what they saw, with some mentioning 'a fish' and others giving different descriptions; some chose not to share, perhaps keeping a secret. The adult public could only 'see' the show through the children's stories.