In Bologna, Palazzo Bentivoglio hosts from January 30 to April 26, 2026 the solo exhibition CC by Michael E. Smith, an American artist born in Detroit in 1977, considered among the most radical and influential of his generation. Curated by Simone Menegoi and Tommaso Pasquali, the exhibition is conceived for the basement of the Bologna building and is characterized by a radical rethinking of spaces, transformed into a path that alternates between emptiness and perceptual tension.
Smith’s practice, developed over more than two decades, oscillates between sculpture and installation and is based on the use of found materials and mass-produced objects. The works, often minimal in size, interact directly with the exhibition space and perceptual conditions, creating a relationship between silence, expectation and meaning. For CC, the artist has created never-before-seen interventions designed specifically for the context of the basement, in which light, object arrangement and progressive rarefaction define an immersive and unconventional experience.
“Michael E. Smith is one of the most original and significant American artists of the last two decades,” explains Simone Menegoi, who was also co-curator of the major exhibition dedicated to Smith by the Milan Triennale in 2014. “His oeuvre can be said to consist of two halves. The first is the actual works; the second, the way those works are placed in the exhibition space, often in an unusual and disorienting way, and the way the space is modified by the artist in relation to the works; altering standard lighting, highlighting technical elements that usually remain hidden, and so on. It is fascinating to see this approach in a place as steeped in history as the Palazzo Bentivoglio’s basement.”
“We strongly wanted this project,” adds Tommaso Pasquali, “not only because we recognize the depth of Smith’s research and the coherence of his language, but also because, seven years after the opening of our venue for exhibitions, we were interested in measuring ourselves with the possibility of seeing those spaces resemantized by a radically contemporary practice such as that of the American artist, who has been questioning the traditional concept of sculpture for the past 20 years. During a recent visit to our basement, the light, proportions and traces of time immediately oriented his reflection on the extent of his own intervention and the capacity of the place to become the living matter of the work.”
The exhibition opens with schmucke dich, o liebe seele, bwv 654, a plastic tub filled with water balloons, introduced by the theme of poor, everyday materiality. Untitled virtual reality viewers highlight the link between technology and contemporary narcissism. Installations such as my sweet lord / today is a killer and bricks in my pillow (Laura Dukes) combine irony and the uncanny, transforming ordinary objects into ambiguous presences: clothes, containers, balloons and musical instruments become symbols of serial production, consumption and the value of objects before use. Music remains an inspirational constant for Smith, with references to folk, blues and jazz present in the titles of the works.
Closing the tour is hello walls demo, where a laser projector interacts with selenite crystals and an artificial lawn, creating a variable lighting effect and revealing the architectural features of the space. The installation invites the viewer to move carefully between low vaults and semi-darkness, exploring connections between objects, bodies and space, while the everyday and the residual become tools for reflection on time, memory and the expressive possibility of common objects. On the occasion of Arte Fiera, from Feb. 4 to 8, the exhibition offers special openings with extended hours, while the catalog published by CURA collects critical texts and visual apparatus, delving into Smith’s unpublished production for Bologna. Palazzo Bentivoglio thus continues its programming based on the dialogue between contemporary artists and historical spaces, confirming its focus on experimental projects in which the place becomes an integral part of the work.
Admission is free from Friday to Sunday, 12 to 7 p.m. Special openings during Arte Fiera: Wednesday, Feb. 4 from 12 to 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 5 from 12 to 10 p.m., Friday, Feb. 6 from 12 to 10 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 7 from 12 to 10 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 8 from 12 to 7 p.m. The exhibition will be closed on Easter Day and will be exceptionally open on April 25.
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| Michael E. Smith transforms the basement of Bologna's Palazzo Bentivoglio with everyday materials |
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