Museo delle Civiltà reopens colonial collection with contemporary art interventions
The 'Museo delle Opacità' has been inaugurated at the Museo delle Civiltà in Rome, offering a fresh perspective on Italy's colonial history through modern artistic expressions. This initiative incorporates pieces from the former Museo Coloniale di Roma, which was integrated in 2017 under the leadership of Andrea Viliani. Inspired by Édouard Glissant's idea of resisting appropriation, the exhibition showcases Jermay Michael Gabriel's 'Yekatit 12', sketches by Francis Offman, and the reconstructed home-studio of Bertina Lopes. Notable works include those by Theo Eshetu, Luca Guadagnino's documentary 'Inconscio italiano', and a cutting-edge installation by ph0n0museaum.rome. Rossella Biscotti focuses on the Zeret massacre (1939), while research fellows Sammy Baloji and DAAR display installations featuring a black fiberglass sphere and a facade from a 1940 rural settlement.
Key facts
- Museo delle Civiltà in Rome launches 'Museo delle Opacità' reinstallation
- Project reexamines Italy's colonial past through contemporary art
- Works from former Museo Coloniale di Roma are central
- Museum directed by Andrea Viliani since 2017
- Term 'opacità' references Édouard Glissant's concept of opacity
- Jermay Michael Gabriel's 'Yekatit 12' replicates Addis Ababa staircase
- Bertina Lopes's home-studio reconstructed with her works
- Theo Eshetu's works dialogue with paintings taken from Ethiopian Parliament (1936–1938)
- Luca Guadagnino's documentary 'Inconscio italiano' included
- Collective ph0n0museaum.rome imagines institution in 2154
- Rossella Biscotti addresses Zeret massacre (1939)
- Sammy Baloji presents 'Gnosis' with Katanga map and Kongo textiles
- DAAR collective presents 'Ente di Decolonizzazione – Borgo Rizza'
- DAAR won Golden Lion at 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale
Entities
Artists
- Jermay Michael Gabriel
- Francis Offman
- Bertina Lopes
- Theo Eshetu
- Luca Guadagnino
- Wissal Houbabi
- Toi Giordani
- Ismael Astri Lo
- Rossella Biscotti
- Peter Frield
- Bianca Baldi
- Malak Yacout
- Sammy Baloji
- Sandi Hilal
- Alessandro Petti
- Édouard Glissant
- Andrea Viliani
- Claudio Crescentini
- Paola Ugolini
Institutions
- Museo delle Civiltà
- Museo Coloniale di Roma
- PAC – Piano per l’Arte Contemporanea
- DGCC del Ministero della Cultura
- La Biennale di Venezia
- Artribune
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- Addis Ababa
- Ethiopia
- Libya
- Katanga
- Sicily
- Borgo Rizza
- Siracusa