The 77th Michetti Prize was unanimously awarded to Eva & Franco Mattes for their work *Are You Still There? * (2025), an AI-generated video that explores, through an ironic and critical approach, the transformations of identity, surveillance, and power dynamics in the digital ecosystem. The Prize jury, chaired by Cristiana Perrella—critic, curator, and director of the MACRO museum—also awarded a special mention to Danilo Correale for *Equivalent Units* (2017), recognizing the artist’s interdisciplinary research on the transformations of work, contemporary economies, and social structures.
The committee, which also included Andrea Viliani, curator and coordinator of the Digital Heritage Gateway Platform (DHGP) for the Ministry of Culture and the General Directorate of Museums, Carla Subrizi, professor at La Sapienza University of Rome and president of the Baruchello Foundation; Franco Pomilio, president of Pomilio Blumm; and Pier Luigi Sacco, president of the Michetti Foundation, selected the winners as part of the 77th edition of the Michetti Prize.
The awards ceremony marked the opening of COSMOVISIONS, the exhibition hosted by the Michetti Museum – MuMi in Francavilla al Mare from July 26 to September 13, 2026. Curated by Nicolas Bourriaud and Massimiliano Scuderi, the exhibition brings together twenty Italian and international artists with forty-eight works—including installations, videos, and multimedia pieces—dedicated to the transformations brought about by artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital technologies. The exhibition explores the relationship between innovation, the natural environment, and the human ecosystem, offering diverse perspectives on new forms of coexistence between humans and technological systems.
Founded in 1947, the event is one of Italy’s longest-running awards dedicated to contemporary art, second only to the Venice Biennale in terms of seniority. Over the course of nearly eighty years, the Michetti Prize has accompanied the evolution of national and international artistic research, establishing itself as a forum for dialogue among artistic languages, generations, and visions.
The 2026 edition renews this mission through an exploration of the transformations of the present, in keeping with the spirit of Francesco Paolo Michetti, one of the first Italian artists to recognize the potential of the dialogue between art and technological innovation—represented at the time by photography and today by digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
COSMOVISIONS is divided into two sections curated by Bourriaud and Scuderi. The first features Jacopo Belloni, Benni Bosetto, Danilo Correale, Binta Diaw, Irene Fenara, Diego Gualandris, Viola Leddi, Romana Londi, Lorenza Longhi, and Agnes Questionmark. The second section includes S()fia Braga, Carola Bonfili, Alex Chalmers, Silvia Dal Dosso, Federica Di Pietrantonio, Eva Gold, Massimo Grimaldi, Lorem, Eva & Franco Mattes, and Matteo Nasini. The exhibition will be on view at the Michetti Museum – MuMi through September 13, 2026.
“My section of Cosmovisions brings together artists who focus on a living universe, contrasting their (all-too) human fragility and a relational way of thinking with the pure rationality of the digital world,” says Nicolas Bourriaud, curator of the exhibition.
“A generation of artists who grew up in the digital world finds a new partner in artificial intelligence, creating hybrid worlds in which the identity and fragility of contemporary life are at the center of their research,” says Massimiliano Scuderi, curator of the exhibition.
“The Michetti Prize is one of our city’s most prestigious symbols and a source of great pride for the entire community,” says Luisa Russo, Mayor of Francavilla al Mare. “Being the second-longest-running art prize in Italy, after the Venice Biennale, attests to the value of a history that continues to look toward the future. Investing in culture means investing in the region’s development: it means attracting visitors, showcasing our excellence, and generating economic opportunities. The Michetti Museum and the Prize represent a cultural heritage that we will continue to support wholeheartedly.”
“The 77th edition of the Michetti Prize renews a tradition that makes Francavilla al Mare a hub for contemporary art,” states Cristina Rapino, Councilor for Culture of Francavilla al Mare. “The Michetti Museum is the ideal venue for hosting an event that has been fostering a dialogue between history, research, and creativity for decades. It is an event that celebrates our cultural identity and reaffirms the city’s role in the national art scene.”
“The Michetti Foundation is proud to inaugurate this 77th edition, mindful of the historical significance of an award that, for nearly eighty years, has been a cornerstone of the Italian art scene,” concludes Stefania Antonucci, Secretary General of the Michetti Foundation. “Renewing this tradition means preserving its memory, but above all, bringing it to life—making it capable of speaking to all generations and questioning the present through the language of art.”
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| Eva & Franco Mattes Win the 77th Michetti Prize with a Work on Artificial Intelligence |
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