Officially unveiled the 18th Quadriennale d’arte di Roma, entitled Fantastica, which will open at the Palazzo Esposizioni in Rome from October 2025 to January 2026, featuring a wide selection of 54 living artists, including 16 under 35. The exhibition, organized by the Fondazione La Quadriennale di Roma with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Lazio Region, Roma Capitale and the Chamber of Commerce of Rome, aims to present itself as the most important event dedicated to Italian contemporary art, with 187 works distributed over about 2,000 square meters, many of them site-specific. Presenting the initiative were curators Luca Massimo Barbero, Francesco Bonami, Emanuela Mazzonis di Pralafera, Francesco Stocchi and Alessandra Troncone, who unveiled details of the exhibition during a press conference at the Collegio Romano.
The curators took up the address given by the late Luca Beatrice, president of the Foundation, who before he passed away had described his idea of Fantastica in this way: "Fantastica is art, because of its ability to open up new horizons, at all latitudes and in all epochs. Fantastica in its valence as a verb is an invitation to rediscover today the power of the symbolic and the power of imagination. Fantastica wants to be the bearer of an atmosphere that describes a climax of wonder, freshness, and hope. In this, contemporary art is a resource, for the opportunity it offers to open lateral looks at things, unusual reading filters, unexpected ways out, even when it disorients us, confuses us, as in an invitation to get lost and find ourselves again."
Fantastica is distinguished by its exhibition structure spanning five different chapters, each reflecting the vision of one of five curators, selected by the Board of Directors of the Quadriennale di Roma. The exhibition aims to explore post-2000 Italian art through fundamental themes such asself-representation, the definition of the artist’s identity, the relationship with the institution and patronage, the nature and status of images in the digital age, and the representation of the body in its multiple forms - human, animal and mechanical - in a dimension of incompleteness and potentiality.
This major choral exhibition project aims to highlight the contemporary art scene in all its complexity and variety, offering an in-depth look at the ways in which artists address and reinvent classic and innovative themes. There is also a strong presence of young talents: as many as 16 of the selected artists out of 54 in total are under 35 years old, confirming the attention paid to new generations, while 45 participations are new to the Quadriennale, signaling a strong push toward renewal and updating of the national art scene.
The presentation press conference was held in the Sala Spadolini of the Collegio Romano, with the participation of important institutional and cultural representatives: Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli, Director General Contemporary Creativity Angelo Piero Cappello, President of the Culture Commission of the Chamber of Deputies Federico Mollicone, President of the Fondazione La Quadriennale di Roma Andrea Lombardini, and Michele Coppola, Executive Director Art, Culture and Historical Assets of Intesa Sanpaolo as well as General Director of the Gallerie d’Italia.
Alongside Fantastica, the Fondazione La Quadriennale di Roma is offering a historical exhibition project entitled I giovani e i maestri: la Quadriennale del 1935. Curated by Walter Guadagnini and produced in collaboration with the Library Archive of the Quadriennale, the exhibition pays tribute to the second edition of the Quadriennale, one of the most important Italian art exhibitions of the 1930s. This year marks the 90th anniversary of that historic event, which marked the transformation of the Quadriennale from a simple periodic event into an institutional body.
The exhibition thus represents an ideal parallel to the current edition, offering an insight into the roots and history of the Quadriennale, and emphasizing the continuity and evolution of a cultural project that has always had the task of interpreting and enhancing Italian artistic production.
Thestaging of the two exhibitions is entrusted to the BRH+ studio, composed of Marco Rainò and Barbara Brondi, who have carefully curated the exhibition spaces to ensure an immersive and engaging enjoyment of the works and themes proposed. The official catalogs will be published by Marsilio Arte, while the visual identity was created by Studio Leonardo Sonnoli, thus helping to define the overall image of the event with a strong aesthetic coherence.
In parallel, a special project curated by Christian Caliandro investigates the perception of Italian contemporary art abroad, expanding the field of analysis and helping to place “Fantastica” within an international context. This in-depth study aims to understand how Italian art is received and interpreted outside national borders, and what role it can play in the global panorama of contemporary art.
Eleonora Agostini, Mirano (Ve) 1991. Lives and works in London (selected by Emanuela Mazzonis di Pralafera)
Camilla Alberti, Milan 1994. Lives and works in Milan (selected by Alessandra Troncone)
Friederich Andreoni, Pesaro 1995. Lives and works in Berlin (selected by Francesco Bonami)
Micol Assaël, Rome 1979. Lives and works in Rome and Greece (selected by Francesco Stocchi)
Jacopo Benassi, La Spezia 1970. Lives and works in La Spezia (selected by Emanuela Mazzonis di Pralafera)
Luca Bertolo, Milan 1968. Lives and works in Serravezza (Lu) (selected by Francesco Stocchi)
Paolo Bini, Battipaglia (Sa) 1984. Lives and works in Montecorvino Pugliano (Sa) (selected by Luca Massimo Barbero)
Lupo Borgonovo, Milan 1985. Lives and works in Milan (selected by Francesco Bonami)
Andrea Camiolo, Leonforte (En) 1998. Lives and works in Turin (selected by Emanuela Mazzonis di Pralafera)
Gianni Caravaggio, Rocca San Giovanni (Ch) 1968. Lives and works in Milan and Sindelfingen (Germany) (selected by Luca Massimo Barbero)
Roberto Cattivelli, Piacenza 1979. Lives and works in Piacenza (selected by Francesco Bonami)
Giulia Cenci, Cortona (Ar) 1988. Lives and works in Tuscany and Amsterdam (selected by Francesco Bonami)
Diego Cibelli, Naples 1987. Lives and works in Naples (selected by Alessandra Troncone)
Adelaide Cioni, Bologna 1976. Lives and works in Spoleto (selected by Francesco Stocchi)
Siro Cugusi, Nuoro 1980. Lives and works in Sardinia and New York (selected by Luca Massimo Barbero)
Cecilia De Nisco, Parma 1997. Lives and works in Vienna (selected by Francesco Bonami)
Roberto de Pinto, Terlizzi (Ba) 1996. Lives and works in Milan (selected by Luca Massimo Barbero)
Antonio Della Guardia, Salerno 1990. Lives and works in Naples (selected by Alessandra Troncone)
Luca Gioacchino Di Bernardo, Naples 1991. Lives and works in Naples (selected by Francesco Bonami)
Federica Di Pietrantonio, Rome 1996. Lives and works in Rome (selected by Alessandra Troncone)
Donato Dozzy (Donato Scaramuzzi), Rome 1970. Lives and works in Rome (selected by Luca Massimo Barbero)
Chiara Enzo, Venice 1989. Lives and works in Venice (selected by Francesco Bonami)
Matteo Fato, Pescara 1979. Lives and works in Pescara (selected by Luca Massimo Barbero)
Irene Fenara, Bologna 1990. Lives and works in Milan (selected by Emanuela Mazzonis di Pralafera)
Linda Fregni Nagler, Stockholm 1976. Lives and works in Milan, Italy (selected by Emanuela Mazzonis di Pralafera)
Emiliano Furia, Romano di Lombardia (Bg) 1991. Lives and works in Milan (selected by Francesco Bonami)
Valentina Furian, Venice 1989. Lives and works in Bologna (selected by Alessandra Troncone)
Martino Gamper, Merano (Bz) 1971. Lives and works in London (selected by Francesco Stocchi)
Teresa Giannico, Bari 1985. Lives and works in Milan (selected by Emanuela Mazzonis di Pralafera)
Emilio Gola, Milan, 1994. lives and works in Milan (selected by Luca Massimo Barbero)
Massimo Grimaldi, Taranto 1974. Lives and works in Milan (selected by Emanuela Mazzonis di Pralafera)
Francesco Jodice, Naples 1967. Lives and works in Milan (selected by Emanuela Mazzonis di Pralafera)
Luisa Lambri, Como 1969. Lives and works in Milan (selected by Luca Massimo Barbero)
Iva Lulashi, Tirana (Albania) 1988. Lives and works in Milan (selected by Alessandra Troncone)
Luca Marignoni, Cles (Tn) 1989. Lives and works in Venice and Smarano di Predaia (Tn) (selected by Luca Massimo Barbero)
Valerio Nicolai, Gorizia 1988. Lives and works in Milan (selected by Francesco Stocchi)
Lulu Nuti, Levallois-Perret (France) 1988. Lives and works in Rome (selected by Francesco Stocchi)
Roberta Orio, Venice 1966. Lives and works in Venice (selected by Luca Massimo Barbero)
Giovanni Ozzola, Florence 1982. Lives and works in Tenerife (selected by Emanuela Mazzonis di Pralafera)
Giulia Parlato, Palermo 1993. Lives and works in Rome (selected by Emanuela Mazzonis di Pralafera)
Jem Perucchini, Tekeze (Ethiopia) 1995. Lives and works in Milan (selected by Francesco Bonami)
Roberto Pugliese, Naples 1982. Lives and works in Naples (selected by Alessandra Troncone)
Agnes Questionmark, Rome 1995. Lives and works in New York and Rome (selected by Alessandra Troncone)
Pietro Roccasalva, Modica 1970. Lives and works in Milan (selected by Francesco Stocchi)
Runo B, Jiangsu (China) 1993. Lives and works in Venice and Faenza (Ra) (selected by Luca Massimo Barbero)
Arcangelo Sassolino, Vicenza 1967. Lives and works in Vicenza (selected by Francesco Stocchi)
Beatrice Scaccia, Frosinone 1978. Lives and works in New York (selected by Francesco Bonami)
Alessandro Sciarroni, San Benedetto del Tronto 1976. Lives and works in Rome and San Benedetto del Tronto (selected by Francesco Stocchi)
Marta Spagnoli, Verona 1994. Lives and works in Venice (selected by Luca Massimo Barbero)
Davide Tranchina, Bologna 1972. Lives and works in Bologna (selected by Emanuela Mazzonis di Pralafera)
Emilio Vavarella, Monfalcone (Go) 1989. Lives and works in the United States and Italy (selected by Alessandra Troncone)
Vedovamazzei, artistic duo born in Milan in 1991, composed of Maristella Scala (Naples, 1964) and Simeone Crispino (Naples, 1962). The artists live and work in Milan (selected by Luca Massimo Barbero).
Lorenzo Vitturi, Venice 1980. Lives and works in Venice and London (selected by Francesco Bonami)
Shafei Xia, Zhejiang (China) 1989. Lives and works in Bologna (selected by Francesco Bonami)
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| Here are who are the 54 artists chosen for the 18th Rome Quadrennial, presented today |
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