How Rome Contemporary Art Week is Attempting to Push Artistic Interconnectivity

Credits: RAW 2024, Image from Romeing Website, By Romeing editorial staff.

By MAGGIE HORNEFF October 30, 2024

During the last week of October over 621 artists and 85 curators came together for the ninth edition of Rome Contemporary Art Week. 192 galleries and institutions participated, each organising one or more events to present their vision of contemporary art to the public, free of charge. Featuring numerous open studios, exhibitions, and events scattered throughout the city that aim to provide art enthusiasts, collectors, and artists with a comprehensive overview of the contemporary art scene in a city traditionally celebrated for its historical and classical artworks. To help the public navigate the multitude of offerings, a selection of influential critics, curators, intellectuals, and artists active in Rome provided their insights through Points of View. Throughout the week guided tours were held by notable influential critics and practitioners of contemporary art to give their insight into the state of contemporary art in Rome and offer suggestions as to what to visit.

The Rome Art Week initiative aims to enhance the accessibility of Rome's continuously expanding contemporary art landscape and portray the city as a more artistically versatile place than it is often credited with being. This edition of Rome Art Week placed particular emphasis on the concept of global interconnectivity and collaboration, encouraging creative exchanges between Italian artists and foreign institutions. Galleries, Foundations, Museums, Cultural Institutions and Associations, Academies, Italian and foreign Cultural Institutes and independent research spaces open their doors proposing exhibitions, events, talks, meetings, performances, insights and extraordinary openings. An embrace of technological perspective was also pushed this year, with artists examining the intersection of AI development and its influence on art. Notably, comparisons were drawn between AI-generated works and traditional human painting, highlighting their contrasts and interactions.

One of the central exhibitions promoted this year, titled Border Crossing Hypothesis, brought together 40 artists to explore themes of identity, migration, and integration, showcasing art as a powerful tool to overcome barriers and foster cultural dialogue. Featuring a diverse array of works—including painting, sculpture, photography, and installations—the exhibition offers a multifaceted perspective on the various identities that coexist and evolve within contemporary society. It positions itself as a voice of encouragement for the integration and coexistence of foreign artists and identities in Italy’s notably homogeneous social landscape. Enriching this narrative was Jacopo Della Valle’s personal photographic exhibition titled World connections, offered by the Travel Tales Award for the 2023 Edition and finds its ideal exhibition space in the OTTO Gallery in Rome. The Roman photographer captures in his images the bond between people and places, exploring belonging and cultural identity, showcasing human connections across five different continents.

The Accademia d'Ungheria in Roma, located on the scenic Via Giulia in the centre of the city, also opened several impactful exhibitions to the public, including the photographic exhibition Great Masters of Photography - André Kertész, curated by Gabriella Csizek. In his lyrical images, subjectivity and modernism intersect through Kertész's deeply humanistic and personal photographs. His images carry simplistic universal messages designed to impact a range of audiences. The LINEArte exhibition, dedicated to András Simon and curated by his daughter, Gyöngyös Simon, featured a father-daughter section showcasing 37 drawings by András and 11 paintings by Gyöngyös. These exhibitions further emphasise the international aspects of the globalising art scene in Rome. The collaborative efforts between Roman and international artists continued to break through, with the exhibition titled Bodyologies IX.'This showcase, centred on the theme of the body within the context of sex-themed exhibitions, once again explored its infinite possibilities for social, psychological, and aesthetic interaction through the works of nine international artists at the Ospizio Giovani Artisti.

Credits: Bodyologies IX, Rome Art Week 2024.

The Clode Art Gallery celebrated the opening of its new headquarters on the historic Via dei Greci in Rome. This landmark event featured a large collective exhibition showcasing a diverse array of both Italian and international artists.  The opening event emphasised the gallery's commitment to fostering global artistic dialogue. Visitors were treated to a vibrant selection of works that reflect a variety of styles and perspectives, inviting a deeper appreciation of contemporary art in an iconic setting. The exhibition showcases works by notable figures such as Franco Angeli, Alessandro Cannistrà, C3R Cristina Chionni Trerotoli, Daniela Forcella, Don Gummer, Emilio Leofreddi, Esteban Villalta Marzi, Mimmo Rotella, Mario Schifano, Elena Sterbini, Marco Tamburro, and Juanni Wang. 

Though there is still some time before Rome’s art scene can stand alongside those of other major European capitals, this year's RAW strongly pushed the narrative of Rome as an actively evolving space for interconnectedness in art. The event underscored the diverse voices of artists and curators, highlighting the importance of cultural dialogue as a vital element for the push of progression in Rome’s contemporary artistic landscape and overall embracement of cultural differences. WM