Former porn cinema in Rome hosts Michel Auder's video project

On May 21, 2025, from 6 PM to 2 AM, Rome's Cinema Ambasciatori—a former porn theater opened in the 1980s at Via Montebello 101—will host "Cinema Auder," a one-night event curated by Luca Lo Pinto and coordinated by Lorena Stamo. The program spans over five decades of moving images by French-born, New York-based filmmaker and photographer Michel Auder (b. 1945, Soissons). Works range from early 16mm films like Keeping Busy (1969) and Cleopatra (1970) to a preview of his latest film co-created with curator Natalia Sielewicz. A conversation with the curator is scheduled for 8 PM. Lo Pinto selected the venue for its history and identity, which evoke "a promiscuity of bodies and visions perfectly aligned with the artist's spirit." Auder, known for his diaristic use of video, acquired one of the first consumer video cameras after meeting Viva, an actress and Warhol Factory muse, in New York in the 1970s. He has documented intimate moments with friends, lovers, and artists including Alice Neel, David Hammons, and Cindy Sherman (his second wife). Auder describes his practice as rooted in voyeurism, allowing him to capture invisible yet essential details.