AMACI Study Day: Exploring Contemporary Synchronies in Museums

The museum is increasingly recognized as a space for knowledge production and critical engagement, extending beyond its traditional role of mere conservation. Building on this premise, the sixth edition of AMACI's Study Day, organized by the network of Italian contemporary art museums, will take place online on Friday, March 27, starting at 9:30 AM. Titled Contemporary Synchronies: The Dialogue Between Past and Present in Today's Museums, this initiative is supported by the Directorate General for Contemporary Creativity (DGCC) of the Ministry of Culture. It offers a valuable opportunity for shared reflection on exhibition models, curatorial practices, and strategies for engaging with cultural heritage.

Curated by Marcella Beccaria, Chiara Gatti, and Lorenzo Respi, the day's program addresses one of the most debated topics in current museology: the progressive questioning of exhibition models based on linear chronologies and strict disciplinary divisions. Instead, the focus is on a "synchronic" perspective, which proposes interpreting collections as open systems, animated by interconnected relationships across different eras, languages, and contexts.

Within this framework, the dialogue between ancient and contemporary art takes on an operational function. Increasingly, contemporary artists engage with historical settings, initiating critical re-readings of heritage. Similarly, past artworks are brought back into circulation through innovative juxtapositions, thematic narratives, and exhibition designs that generate fresh interpretations. Collections thus become dynamic elements, integrated into narrative structures that create resonances and shifts in meaning.

The day will be structured into three sessions, each exploring the theme of "synchronies" through different areas of inquiry. It will commence with institutional addresses from Marta Ragozzino, Head of Service II – Contemporary Art and Photography at the DG Contemporary Creativity, along with Lorenzo Balbi and Marcella Beccaria, who serve as President and Vice-President of AMACI, respectively.

The first session focuses on curatorial practices that foster a dialogue between contemporary art and archaeological heritage, also from a postcolonial perspective. Presentations by Elina Kountouri and Andrea Viliani, moderated by Marcella Beccaria, will explore the museum as a space for temporal and cultural relationships, where the interplay between past and present serves as a critical tool for reinterpreting heritage.

The second session delves into the transformations that have redefined the conception of museums and their narratives over recent decades. Christine Macel and Francesca Cappelletti, moderated by Chiara Gatti, will discuss the opening of Western museums to global and intercultural dimensions, and how contemporary art interacts with historical collections. This session will highlight a dynamic vision of the museum as a site shaped by multiple temporalities and geographies.

The third session, titled Guarding Time: Anthropologies of Memory, expands the discussion towards a more theoretical reflection. Matteo Al Kalak and Matteo Meschiari, moderated by Lorenzo Respi, will address topics such as the transmission of knowledge from archives to digital formats and the role of time travel as a narrative and cognitive device, positioning the museum as a space for knowledge production and critical participation.

Participation is free, subject to online registration.