Frontiera 40: Italian Style Writing at MAMbo Explores Street Art History

The MAMbo in Bologna hosts 'Frontiera 40. Italian Style Writing 1984 – 2024', a major exhibition on Italian street art curated by Fabiola Naldi, opening April 13. The show features 181 sketches by multiple generations of Italian writers, displayed on paper, fabric, and other supports using graphite, markers, acrylics, and mixed media. The works are housed in museum-style vitrines across the museum's reception, foyer, mezzanine, and first floor. A sound installation by NEU RADIO accompanies the exhibition, forming the first part of an ongoing audio archive. The exhibition honors critic Francesca Alinovi (1948–1983), who pioneered graffiti scholarship in Europe and organized the landmark 1984 show 'Arte di frontiera. New York Graffiti' at Bologna's Galleria comunale d'Arte Moderna. Alinovi was murdered in 1983 before her exhibition opened. In her memory, Bologna has named the walkway through the Giardino del Covaticcio, adjacent to MAMbo, after her. Curator Naldi notes that Alinovi foresaw graffiti as a new avant-garde, breaking boundaries and merging styles.