From May 30 to August 24, 2025, Palazzo Santa Margherita in Modena will host The Art of Mechanical Thought, an extensive anthological exhibition by artist Donato Piccolo, curated by Lorenzo Respi and promoted by the Ago Foundation in collaboration with Galleria Mazzoli, as part of the Unesco Media Arts program.
The exhibition combines art, science and technology: more than fifty works animated by electronic devices, robotics and artificial intelligence will engage the public in anexperience between the human and machine worlds, between living and artificial matter.
One will be able to perceive the amplification of the beating of wings of a technological butterfly. Observe a copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine moving around the room thanks to electronic sensors and robotic legs. Admire a mechanical sculpture that moves by imitating the movements of turtles, held in a display case and connected to the work through sophisticated control devices. Some sculptures will instead follow the movements of visitors, giving the impression of interacting with them, thanks to the support of artificial intelligence. These are just some of the works by Donato Piccolo, an internationally renowned artist known for exploring the boundary between the human domain and the autonomy of technology. His research, also developed through a collaboration with a team of CNR engineers, has led him to exhibit in numerous venues, such as MAXXI in Rome and the Zhejiang National Museum in China.
The artist’s approach is based on a holistic technological humanism, investigating how we perceive the natural world and starting from physical phenomena such as the vapor tornado or lightning. The intent is to stimulate in the visitor reflections on the relationship with machines and technology.
The moving sculptures are machines endowed with a novel and original visual language, which are intended to offer anthropological and social insights into the development of models of “other” intelligence, capable of emerging beyond the limits of the human body and developing cognitive autonomy.
Hours:
May-June, Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
July-August, Wednesday through Sunday and holidays from 3 to 7 p.m.
Guided tours every Saturday at 4 p.m. by appointment.
Free admission.
Pictured, Triptych for headache.
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| Donato Piccolo's anthological exhibition in Modena: on display works animated by robotics and artificial intelligence |
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