ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

LIFE Festival Debuts in Milan Merging Art, Theater, and Journalism

festival-fair · 2026-04-26

The first edition of LIFE festival, conceived by ZONA K, launches in Milan from May 7 to June 21, 2025. The festival blends theater, visual arts, performance installations, and investigative journalism, inspired by the American photojournalism magazine LIFE. It unfolds in two phases: May 7–19 at Fabbrica del Vapore and June 4–21 at ZONA K, Teatro Fontana, and Teatro Out. Highlights include Dries Verhoeven's 'Everything Must Go,' a supermarket aisle performance on capitalism; Basel Zaraa's 'Dear Laila,' a miniature reconstruction of his childhood home in Yarmouk refugee camp; Johannes Bellinkx & Daan Brinkmann's 'The Parcel Project,' an artistic-journalistic experiment following a postal package through global logistics; and Agrupación Señor Serrano's 'The Mountain,' a multimedia show mixing Orson Welles, fake news, and mountaineering. Talks, workshops, and collaborations with local cultural organizations complement the program.

Key facts

  • LIFE festival debuts in Milan in 2025
  • Organized by ZONA K association
  • Runs May 7–19 at Fabbrica del Vapore and June 4–21 at ZONA K, Teatro Fontana, Teatro Out
  • Title inspired by the American photojournalism magazine LIFE
  • Combines theater, visual arts, performance installations, and investigative journalism
  • Dries Verhoeven presents 'Everything Must Go'
  • Basel Zaraa presents 'Dear Laila' about Yarmouk refugee camp
  • Johannes Bellinkx & Daan Brinkmann present 'The Parcel Project'
  • Agrupación Señor Serrano presents 'The Mountain'
  • Includes talks, workshops, and collaborations with local cultural organizations

Entities

Artists

  • Dries Verhoeven
  • Basel Zaraa
  • Johannes Bellinkx
  • Daan Brinkmann

Institutions

  • ZONA K
  • Fabbrica del Vapore
  • Teatro Fontana
  • Teatro Out
  • Agrupación Señor Serrano

Locations

  • Milan
  • Italy
  • Yarmouk
  • Palestine
  • United Kingdom
  • Netherlands
  • Belgium
  • Spain

Sources