Opera, whose name derives from the Italian word for “work,” is a genre in constant flux. While some see it as representing outdated bourgeois culture, for many others it embodies the ultimate art form with almost revolutionary possibilities.


Situated next to the State Opera, the PalaisPopulaire, in cooperation with MAXXI - National Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome, will present the exhibition OPERA OPERA Allegro ma non troppo in 2022. Based on a wide and significant selection of the Museum’s Collection, the show as well as the catalogue are devoted to a quintessentially Italian subject while at the same time exploring the fascination and potential of opera as a theatrical Gesamtkunstwerk - a total work of art - from the perspective of global visual arts. The artists featured deal with physical expression, masking, staging, performativity, experiences of space, and sound.


Artists: Vanessa Beecroft, Monica Bonvicini, William Kentridge, Liliana Moro, Olaf Nicolai, Luigi Ontani, Susan Philipsz, Kara Walker.


Text in English and German.