Paolo Rosa on the Museum as a Narrative Space: Studio Azzurro at Palazzo Reale

At Palazzo Reale in Milan, the exhibition 'Studio Azzurro. Immagini sensibili' runs through September 4, 2016, spanning fourteen rooms with drawings, sketches, photographs, and descriptions of video environments and installations. The display alternates panels with iconic works like 'Il Nuotatore' (1984) and 'Tavoli (perché queste mani si toccano)' (1995), alongside recent pieces such as 'Meditazioni Mediterraneo' and 'Portatori di Storie' (2000-2015). The exhibition is part of Milan's 'Ritorni al Futuro' cultural program. A new work, 'Miracolo a Milano', is projected on the vault of the Sala delle Cariatidi, depicting an 'invisible' Milan. In an interview, Studio Azzurro co-founder Paolo Rosa discusses the shift from collection-based museums to narrative museums, emphasizing the role of new technologies in creating evocative, experiential spaces. He argues that museums should become places of ritual and sociality, countering the isolating tendencies of technology. Rosa cites the 2011 exhibition 'Fare gli Italiani' at the Officine Grandi Riparazioni in Turin as a model, where visitors engaged deeply with both technological and explanatory elements. He advocates for a 'meta-museum' that uses technological languages to foster participation and dialogue, shifting the aesthetic axis from object to process.