Contemporary Art Invades Quirinale Palace in 'Da Io a Noi' Exhibition

The exhibition 'Da Io a Noi. La città senza confini' at Palazzo del Quirinale in Rome, promoted by Federica Galloni and curated by Anna Mattirolo, marked the culmination of Minister Dario Franceschini's policy to bring contemporary art into Italy's presidential palace. Featuring 22 Italian and international artists, the show aimed to shift focus from the individual to the collective, exploring interpretations of peripheries. Despite challenges of inserting contemporary works into the ornate historic setting, the exhibition succeeded with strong three-dimensional pieces like Alberto Garutti's poetic stone, Jimmie Durham's unsettling 'Pallas Athena', and Alessandro Piangiamore's concrete slabs with floral ikebana. Luca Vitone's 'Panorama (Roma)' offered telescopic views of a desolate Rome from the Sala del Balcone. Provocative works by Claire Fontaine and Sislej Xhafa in the Sala Gialla played with everyday life in a presidential residence. Eugenio Tibaldi's 'Seconda Chance' assembled found objects from Italian peripheries. The final rooms achieved balance: Mona Hatoum's 'Undercurrent (red)' with videos by Adrian Paci and the De Serio brothers in the Sala degli Ambasciatori; Flavio Favelli's 'Grande Galleria' and Lara Favaretto's 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' in the Sala d'Ercole; and Rosa Barba's 'Sea Sick Passenger' in the Sala degli Scrigni. Critic Ludovico Pratesi noted minor shortcomings, suggesting future exhibitions should better respect the genius loci.