ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Sonata Festival Transforms MACRO into Experimental Hub

festival-fair · 2026-04-26

The inaugural Sonata festival is taking place at MACRO in Rome until September 22, 2024. Curated by Matteo Binci and Vasco Forconi, the event blends music, video, performance, and various artistic expressions in lesser-utilized areas of the museum. It showcases local experimental talents such as Akïi and Casilina, alongside Sunday assemblies, workshops, and discussions focused on art, culture, and social rights. Key figures include Christian Raimo, Giulia Addazi, and the collective BHMF. Temporary stages have been designed by architecture studio Supervoid under the "Rapsodia" project, utilizing materials from past exhibitions. The festival seeks to engage a younger demographic with free access and has attracted thousands of visitors every weekend, despite being its first iteration.

Key facts

  • Sonata festival runs until September 22, 2024 at MACRO Rome.
  • Curated by Matteo Binci and Vasco Forconi.
  • Festival uses secondary spaces: foyer, auditorium, cinema room, terrace, glass gallery.
  • Features local artists Akïi and Casilina.
  • Includes Sunday assemblies on school, pedagogy, queer/trans issues, and post-colonial Rome.
  • Participants include Christian Raimo, Giulia Addazi, Cristiano Corsini, Rahma Nur, Claudia Ricci, Pietro Savastio, Elena Zizioli, Diletta Bellotti, Nitx, Fallon Mayanja, Aldana/Karaoke No Fomo Only Homo, BHMF, the Recovery Plan, Justin Randolph Thompson, Janine Dieudji.
  • Supervoid designed temporary installations 'Rapsodia' using materials from past MACRO shows.
  • Festival is free and aims to attract young audiences.
  • Thousands of visitors attend each weekend.

Entities

Artists

  • Matteo Binci
  • Vasco Forconi
  • Akïi
  • Casilina
  • Christian Raimo
  • Giulia Addazi
  • Cristiano Corsini
  • Rahma Nur
  • Claudia Ricci
  • Pietro Savastio
  • Elena Zizioli
  • Diletta Bellotti
  • Nitx
  • Fallon Mayanja
  • Aldana
  • Karaoke No Fomo Only Homo
  • Justin Randolph Thompson
  • Janine Dieudji
  • Supervoid

Institutions

  • MACRO
  • BHMF
  • the Recovery Plan

Locations

  • Rome
  • Italy

Sources