ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Mattia Pajè's Playful and Fragile Exhibition at Fondazione smART in Rome

exhibition · 2026-04-27

Mattia Pajè (born 1991 in Melzo) presents a heterogeneous, playful, and thought-provoking exhibition at Fondazione smART – polo per l'arte in Rome. Curated by Saverio Verini, the show features a pseudo-scientific numerical composition, faceless funerary effigies, turtles combining words in a terrarium, slender magic wands, and a giant photograph of a sleeping infant disrupted by three large black holes. These black holes symbolize life's uncertainties. Two cracked statues, barely sketched by the artist, embrace as a symbol of support, though destined to fall. The exhibition explores the thin line between trepidation, excitement, and fragility that everyone experiences when striving toward a goal. Pajè's corpus of works is described by Verini as surprisingly oscillating, reflecting the artist's fear of crystallizing his practice.

Key facts

  • Mattia Pajè was born in Melzo in 1991.
  • The exhibition is held at Fondazione smART – polo per l'arte in Rome.
  • Saverio Verini curated the show.
  • Works include a pseudo-scientific numerical composition, faceless funerary effigies, turtles in a terrarium combining words, slender magic wands, and a giant photograph of a sleeping infant.
  • Three large black holes disrupt the infant photograph, symbolizing life's unknowns.
  • Two cracked statues embrace, representing support, but are destined to fall.
  • Verini describes Pajè's corpus as surprisingly oscillating.
  • The artist fears crystallizing his practice.

Entities

Artists

  • Mattia Pajè

Institutions

  • Fondazione smART – polo per l'arte
  • Artribune

Locations

  • Melzo
  • Rome
  • Italy

Sources