Mario Merz Prize 2025 Finalists Announced in Turin

The fifth edition of the Mario Merz Prize, curated by Giulia Turconi, presents six finalists whose works explore the body as a site of political tension, living archive, and transformation. The exhibition at Fondazione Merz in Turin runs until September 25, 2025. Elena Bellantoni (Vibo Valentia, 1975) shows "On the Breadline," a four-channel video tracing a symbolic line through Italy, Greece, Serbia, and Turkey, where women walk singing "Bread and Roses," a feminist anthem from the 1912 Lawrence textile strike. Mohamed Bourouissa (Blida, 1978) presents "Généalogie de la violence," a short film and aluminum sculptures depicting invisible police violence and control, ending with a quote by Frantz Fanon. Voluspa Jarpa (Rancagua, 1971) offers "Extinction Project," a three-level installation on biological, cultural, and social extinction linked to colonial violence, 20th-century dictatorships, and resource conflicts in Latin America. Anna Franceschini (Pavia, 1979) animates seven automatic ironing machines in "All Those Stuffed Shirts," choreographed by an algorithm, and in "Smooth Operators" a velvet-gloved hand scratches glass, revealing hidden violence in gentle gestures. Agnes Questionmark (Rome, 1995) presents an installation inspired by performance "CHM13hTERT," depicting a hybrid being suspended between experiment and mutation, questioning evolution, science, and self-determination.