Rome Reawakens: A Museum's Bold Embrace of its Chaotic Heart – But Will It Resonate?
Imagine a city constantly reinventing itself, a swirling vortex of art, music, and urban life. That's the Rome that MACRO, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome, is determined to capture. After a period of reflection and renewal, MACRO reopened its doors on December 12, 2025, under the artistic direction of Cristiana Perrella, with a powerful mission: to become a true reflection of the city's dynamic spirit. The ambitious reopening program, titled "Cara città (abbracciami)" – "Dear City (Embrace Me)" – aims to transform the museum into a "polyphonic organism" deeply intertwined with Rome's rhythms and contradictions. This isn't just about displaying art; it's about actively generating new knowledge and experiences that extend far beyond traditional exhibitions.
More Than Just a Backdrop: Rome as a Living, Breathing Entity
Instead of treating Rome as a picturesque backdrop, the program boldly positions the city as an active participant – a living, breathing entity constantly shaped by grassroots movements, informal networks, and emerging voices that often push the boundaries of contemporary art. The aim is to narrate Rome not only to its own inhabitants but also to the wider world, leveraging MACRO's international connections to amplify the city's unique story.
Four Exhibitions, One City in Transition
The inaugural season, running through April 2026, kicks off with four simultaneous exhibitions, each offering a unique perspective on Rome's ever-shifting cultural landscape. These exhibitions promise to map the city's generative forces, its inherent contradictions, and the vibrant imaginaries it inspires.
UNAROMA: Curated by Cristiana Perrella and former director Luca Lo Pinto, UNAROMA is a large-scale snapshot of Rome's diverse and intergenerational art scene. Think of it as a cinematic tracking shot through an "ideal green screen," showcasing over seventy artists within a design by Parasite 2.0 that transforms MACRO into a porous, ever-evolving stage. The exhibition is structured in three parts: Set (new and rarely seen works), Live (weekly performances, concerts, and workshops), and Off (interventions in independent Roman spaces). UNAROMA aims to be both an exhibition and a citywide infrastructure, a collective film written through distributed authorship. This approach is ambitious - can it truly capture the sprawling, often chaotic energy of Rome's art scene?
One Day You’ll Understand. 25 years from Dissonanze: This exhibition, also curated by Perrella, revisits the influential Dissonanze festival, which transformed Rome into a hub for electronic music and digital experimentation between 2000 and 2010. Through archival materials, the exhibition reconstructs the aesthetics and social dynamics generated by Dissonanze. Installed in MACRO's historic rooms, the project positions Dissonanze not as a nostalgic relic but as a lens through which to examine Rome's capacity to embrace experimental practices. A research day led by Carlo Antonelli and Valerio Mannucci will further explore this reflection with contemporary artists and cultural practitioners. This raises an important question: can a museum truly capture the ephemeral energy of a music festival from the past?
Jonathas de Andrade. Sisters With No Name: Perrella presents a new film commission by Brazilian artist Jonathas de Andrade, developed with Conciliazione 5 and produced by Fondazione In Between Art Film. The film tells the story of Brazilian nuns who combined spirituality, political activism, and social pedagogy in the 1960s, eventually relocating to Rome after facing persecution. Through archival materials and testimonies, de Andrade traces a transnational trajectory of resistance, connecting these women to broader movements while drawing parallels between Belo Horizonte and Rome. But here's where it gets controversial... The work implicitly connects a historical narrative of political persecution to contemporary social issues, potentially sparking debate about the role of art in social commentary. Will it resonate with audiences unfamiliar with this specific historical context?
Inhabiting the Ruins of the Present: Curated by Giulia Fiocca and Lorenzo Romito (Stalker), this exhibition reflects on Rome as a laboratory of grassroots regeneration. Part of the project presented at the 2025 Austrian Pavilion of the Venice Architecture Biennale, it examines forms of inhabitation emerging from environmental and social precarity, highlighting practices of reuse, re-naturalization, and shared governance. From Corviale to Lago Bullicante, the exhibition articulates an alternative urban epistemology where Rome's "ruins" become active sites of possibility. And this is the part most people miss... The exhibition challenges conventional notions of urban development by focusing on the creative potential found in marginalized spaces. Will this perspective resonate with those who prioritize traditional forms of urban planning?
Cine-città: A New Cinematic Lens on Rome
The reopening also includes the launch of Cine-città, a new cinema program curated by Sergio Sozzo and Sara Pirone in collaboration with CSC–Cineteca Nazionale. The program will showcase works by emerging filmmakers on Fridays and present cinematic portraits of the city by acclaimed Italian and international directors on Sundays. This addition expands MACRO's reach beyond visual art, embracing film as another medium for exploring Rome's identity.
A New Chapter for MACRO: Dialogue, Contamination, and Shared Imagination
Overall, MACRO's reopening signifies a bold attempt to redefine the museum's role as a civic and international platform – an experimental space where the city's cultural energies are not simply displayed but actively engaged with, negotiated, and transformed. Under Perrella's direction, the museum embarks on a new chapter rooted in dialogue, mutual contamination, and shared imagination.
The program, promoted by the Department of Culture of Roma Capitale and Azienda Speciale Palaexpo, and produced and organized by Azienda Speciale Palaexpo, marks the beginning of Cristiana Perrella's vision for a multifaceted, dynamic, and accessible institution. With a daily program complementing its exhibition calendar, MACRO aspires to reclaim its position as an open, accessible, and culturally vital hub for Rome.
What do you think? Will MACRO's ambitious vision resonate with the people of Rome and the international art community? Can a museum truly capture the essence of a city as complex and ever-changing as Rome? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
