Maxxi's 'La Strada' Explores the Street as a Site of Art and Protest

The MAXXI museum in Rome presents 'La Strada,' a sprawling exhibition curated by Hou Hanru that examines the street as a nexus of creativity, protest, and urban life. Featuring 200 artists, the show spans the 20th and 21st centuries through sections like Mapping, Interventions, Street Politics, and Everyday Life. Works include Marinella Senatore's 'Protest dance,' Daniel Crooks' labyrinthine street video, and Lin Yilin's ephemeral wall-building performance critiquing China's urbanization. Other highlights: Halil Altindere gilds surveillance cameras, Allora & Calzadilla use a trumpet as an exhaust pipe, and Cao Fei creates a 3D model city with hip-hop interventions. The exhibition also addresses political movements from the 1960s to Black Lives Matter and Occupy Wall Street, with pieces by Rirkrit Tiravanija, Kendell Geers, and Sam Durant. The show runs across the museum's first floor, emphasizing video, photography, and activist printmaking.