M9 Museum in Mestre Shifts Focus from Tech to Narrative Under New Director

The M9 museum in Mestre, dedicated to 20th-century history, is undergoing a strategic overhaul under scientific director Luca Molinari, appointed in October 2020. Opened in 2018 after long delays, the museum faced economic sustainability issues due to its 1,300-square-meter exhibition space and heavy multimedia apparatus, exacerbated by the pandemic which rendered many interactive devices unusable. Molinari aims to reposition technology as a servant to narrative, not the focus. The new three-year program, running until March 2025, features thematic exhibitions acting as contemporary laboratories through interdisciplinary approaches. Two trilogies—national and Veneto-focused—will explore Italian culture and the surrounding territory. The first exhibition, "GUSTO! Gli italiani a tavola," opens March 25, 2022, followed by "Il laboratorio del Design. Produzione e ricerca nell'area veneta dal 1945" in October 2022, and later shows on sports, music, landscape, and textiles. Molinari plans to regenerate the permanent collection within two to three years, balancing multimedia with physical objects. He emphasizes that M9 must maintain its own identity, not be seen as a peripheral museum of Venice, and aims to attract local and international audiences, including from Germany and Austria, while avoiding cruise ship tourists. The museum has drawn visitors from Veneto, Friuli, Emilia Romagna, and even a Sri Lankan community.