Colossal Survey of Italian Video Art Opens at Palazzo delle Esposizioni and GAM in Rome

A major exhibition titled "Il video rende felici. Videoarte in Italia" (Video Makes You Happy. Video Art in Italy) has opened at Palazzo delle Esposizioni and Galleria d'Arte Moderna (GAM) in Rome, curated by Valentina Valentini. Spanning from 1963 to 2020, the show features over 300 works by more than 100 artists, deliberately avoiding chronological order. The exhibition includes preparatory sketches for nearly every piece, and alternates between dark, immersive rooms and well-lit spaces, mimicking a circadian cycle. Notable works include Danilo Correale's "No More Sleep No More" (2016), where viewers recline on a chaise-longue and listen to a debate on sleep and wakefulness in the postmodern era; Marinella Pirelli's walkable installation "Film ambiente" (1968-69/2004); and Quayola's recent research on Impressionism. Other highlights include Rosa Barba's "Western Round Table" (2007) featuring two projectors filming each other, Donato Piccolo's electronic crab videosculture, Daniele Puppi's site-specific installation, and Studio Azzurro's interactive "Coro" (1995) where projected bodies on a carpet emit groans when stepped on. At GAM, works by Fabio Mauri, Bill Viola, and Fabrizio Plessi are on display, alongside a catalog of Italian video festivals from the 1980s and a selection from production centers that supported significant Italian video art.