The 2025 Italy Media Art Festival Closes at Palazzo Valentini: Art and Technology for the Common Good

The 2nd edition of the Italy Media Art Festival (IMAF) ended at Palazzo Valentini, exploring the dialogue between Art and Technology for the Common Good

ROME, ROME, ITALY, November 12, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The second edition of the Italy Media Art Festival (IMAF) concluded in the evocative setting of the Sala Consiliare at Palazzo Valentini, an event that each year brings to Rome a profound reflection on the relationship between art, technology, and social responsibility.

After successful international presentations in Cyprus, during the Cyprus Art Week, and at Maker Faire Rome – The European Edition, the festival held its final event on October 22 in Rome, as part of the Rome Art Week. The evening brought together artists, institutions, and audiences in a meaningful dialogue on “Technology for the Common Good.”

The screening presented nine video artworks and two video installations, alongside the creations of six invited artists. The event was opened by Marinellys Tremamunno, journalist and founder of the festival, who emphasized the importance of IMAF as “a free and open space for ethical reflection through digital artistic creation.”

“I believe it is essential that behind every artwork, even the most technological one, there lies a deep reflection — a thought capable of addressing the urgent issues of our time and restoring meaning to the relationship between innovation and humanity,” said Tremamunno.

The evening featured the participation of Chiara Iannarelli, Regional Councillor of Lazio and member of the Regional Commission on Culture; Massimiliano Padovan di Benedetto, President of Rome Art Week; and Alessandro Zehentner, Member of the Board of Directors of Enel, the festival’s main sponsor.

Councillor Chiara Iannarelli offered a powerful reflection on the human and social value of art:

“Politicians and public officials should be prescribed a small daily dose of art. Art is the fuel that revives the human spirit, which today is endangered by a culture of individualism and consumption,” she stated.

Massimiliano Padovan di Benedetto, President of Rome Art Week, recalled the impressive growth of the event, which this year celebrated its tenth anniversary with 589 initiatives in just one week:

“Rome Art Week was born to make things happen in this city. It is a completely free project that gives space to young artists often excluded from the official circuits. Our goal is to reveal the creative wealth that Rome possesses — a heritage that, for too long, has been kept modestly in the shadows.”

Equally significant was the contribution of Alessandro Zehentner (Enel), who highlighted the cultural responsibility of Italian enterprises:

“Nothing may seem more distant from art than the energy sector, yet it is not so. Enel is proudly Italian and gives back to the community what it receives from the market by supporting culture, sport, and creativity. Art is a form of energy that generates value and fosters community.”

The Voices of the Artists

Following the institutional remarks, the audience was introduced to the nine video artworks and two video installations selected through the 2025 open call, centered on the theme “Technology for the Common Good: Art for a Just Transition.”

Artist Bruno Cerboni, an engineer by training, reflected on the role of AI in artistic creation, cautioning that “an artist must first imagine, then use the tools. One paints not with the brush, but with the mind.” His work, The Collective Laboratory, envisions a future where technology, art, and social justice coexist in harmony.

Art historian and multimedia artist Claudio Marani, creator of the installation Dialoghi con Flora, invited the audience into a direct encounter with living nature:

“My work stems from real contact with a living plant. Through sensors that capture its electrical field, the public enters into dialogue with it. It is both a poetic and scientific experience — a reminder that plants too are living beings with which we can establish a connection,” he explained.

The screening concluded with the contribution of guest artist Emanuele Marsigliotti, author of Linee di direzione:

“Technology should not serve to make us run faster, but to help us reflect on who we are. My work is a reminder that, before anything else, we are human beings. Only with this awareness can we build a future free from violence.”

A Free and Inclusive Festival

Organized by the non-profit association Piccola Venezia APS, the Italy Media Art Festival is a free, non-commercial initiative. After receiving more than 80 submissions from around the world, a jury of experts selected nine works — seven video art pieces and two video installations.

Among the videoart seleted were: Chtonia – A Story Beyond Anthropocene by Marco Calabrese (Italy), A Hungry Artist by Marco Caridad (Venezuela), The Collective Laboratory by Bruno Cerboni (Italy), Echoed in Water by Yossi Galanti (Israel), Thoughtscapes by Affar Oppip (Brazil), The Stream XII-II by Hiroya Sakurai (Japan), and Connections #2: Human – Machine by Maurizio Zoccola (Italy). Each of these works explores intersections between humanity, technology, memory, and sustainability, using diverse visual languages of striking poetic and symbolic depth.

The selected video installations — The Garden by Jérémy Griffaud (France) and Dialoghi con Flora by Claudio Marani (Italy) — expanded the dialogue between nature and the artificial, inviting audiences to live immersive, sensorial experiences.

Among the invited artists were Oksana Mas (Ukraine) with The Phenomenon of Epidermism, Mariia Plekhova (Russia) with Albero in transito, Maria Korporal (Germany) with Emergency Call, Citron | Lunardi (Italy) with Kingdom Plantae, Pedro Morales (France) with Neural Coevolution, and Emanuele Marsigliotti (Italy) with Linee di direzione.

For the second consecutive year, IMAF has reaffirmed its identity as a laboratory of ideas — a space where creativity, technology, and ethics meet.
The 2025 edition was held in collaboration with Rome Art Week (RAW), Maker Faire Rome, and Cyprus Art Week, with the support of Enel as main sponsor.

More information: 🌐 www.italiamediaartfestival.it

Marinellys Tremamunno
TREMAMUNNO PRODUCTIONS OÜ
info@italiamediaartfestival.it
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