Gabriele Simongini on Curating the 20th Century: Interview

In an interview with exibart.com, curator Gabriele Simongini discusses his upcoming exhibitions and his vision of the Italian Novecento as a living, porous constellation of energies rather than a sequence of movements. He criticizes historiography for trying to tame the century and emphasizes the need to rediscover overlooked artists. Key projects include "Sensing the Future" at MAXXI (from November 18), "Cratere. Storie di Comunità" at the Terme di Diocleziano (from November), a Renzo Vespignani show at Centrale Montemartini (from December 3), a Luigi Russolo exhibition at Palazzo Vescovile in Portogruaro, an Italian abstraction show at Fondazione Puglisi Cosentino in Catania (from late October), a Corrado Cagli show at Mole Vanvitelliana in Ancona (January 2027), and the "Trilogia del Novecento" for Ancona. Simongini discusses the Futurists' relationship with the past, Russolo's complexity beyond the Intonarumori, and the return of "La Musica" (1911) to Italy after 20 years. He also reflects on the role of the curator as a critical practice, building imaginaries, and the importance of working on long timelines. He mentions his 2023 exhibition "Ipotesi Metaverso" at Palazzo Cipolla with Serena Tabacchi, which combined Baroque, Piranesi, Metaphysical art, Futurism, digital art, AI, and virtual reality.