Rica Cerbarano explores billboards as political monuments in public art research

Curator and writer Rica Cerbarano (Turin, 1992) is developing a research project on the political and social role of billboards as contemporary monuments, supported by a grant from Strategia Fotografia 2024. The project examines how photographic billboards in urban spaces can foster critical thinking and civic engagement, countering digital disconnection and privatization of public space. Cerbarano, co-founder of the Kublaiklan collective, presented her findings in a talk at Fondazione Connecting Cultures on December 16, 2024, with art critic Pietro Gaglianò and photographer Maurizio Montagna. Her upcoming publication, launching in February at Reading Room in Milan, will feature artists such as For Freedoms and Willem de Haan. Additionally, she won an Italian Council research grant in 2024 for a residency at the International Center of Photography and study of Public Art Fund archives, while pursuing a master's in Commissioning and Curating Public Art at the University of Gothenburg. Future plans include a volume, an exhibition, and a podcast.