ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Amnistia: Student Exhibition on Colonial Memory at Brera Academy

exhibition · 2026-05-04

At the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan, a group of students from the Visual Cultures and Curatorial Practices biennium, supervised by their professors, have organized the collective exhibition 'Amnistia'. The show functions as a preface to the complex theme of extinction and the mnemonic re-elaboration of colonial crimes committed by the Italian state. Cinema serves as a backlit backdrop for historiographical imaginaries between Italy and Ethiopia, forming the legend of the exhibition's language. Featured works include Nina Fischer and Maroan el Sani's video installation 'Freedom of Movement' (2017), which traces the journey of Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila; Rossella Biscotti's 'La cinematografia è l’arma più forte' (2003–2018); and Bekele Mekonnen's syncretic, metonymic intervention involving shovels and forks at the Graduate School for Film Studies at the University of Addis Ababa.

Key facts

  • The exhibition 'Amnistia' is the result of a long research and confrontation process by students of Visual Cultures and Curatorial Practices at Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera.
  • The show is presented as a preface rather than an epilogue to the theme of extinction and memory of colonial crimes by the Italian state.
  • Cinema is used as a backlit backdrop for historiographical imaginaries between Italy and Ethiopia.
  • Nina Fischer and Maroan el Sani's video installation 'Freedom of Movement' (2017) traces the journey of Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila.
  • Rossella Biscotti's work 'La cinematografia è l’arma più forte' (2003–2018) is included.
  • Bekele Mekonnen's intervention involves shovels and forks at the Graduate School for Film Studies at the University of Addis Ababa.
  • The exhibition is held in Milan at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera.
  • The article was published on Artribune in July 2018.

Entities

Artists

  • Nina Fischer
  • Maroan el Sani
  • Abebe Bikila
  • Rossella Biscotti
  • Bekele Mekonnen
  • Ginevra Bria

Institutions

  • Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
  • Graduate School for Film Studies at the University of Addis Ababa
  • Isisuf – Istituto Internazionale di Studi sul Futurismo
  • Artribune

Locations

  • Milan
  • Italy
  • Ethiopia
  • Addis Ababa

Sources