Rizoma Institute Launches in Palermo as New Cultural and Political Laboratory

Rizoma, a new institute for cultural and political experimentation, will be established in Palermo in summer 2020, emerging from the latest editions of BAM – Biennale Arcipelago Mediterraneo and Transeuropa Festival. The initiative is led by European Alternatives, the organization behind Transeuropa Festival, which was curated by Lorenzo Marsili and held in Palermo during BAM 2019. Rizoma aims to move beyond the spectacle of biennials and festivals by fostering long-term research, multidisciplinary collaboration, and rhizomatic connections across the Mediterranean. The institute launches with an open call titled Pandemos, curated by Izabela Anna Moren, inviting artists, writers, and creatives based in Sicily to contribute to a multimedia book inspired by Jorge Luis Borges' magical tomes. Another project, Antifragile, will explore how creative models can improve through external shocks. Rizoma is supported by partners including Allianzkulturstiftung and seeks to transform Palermo's cultural ecosystem by linking diverse realities through subterranean roots.