The 19th edition of Archivio Aperto presents a project room dedicated to Unsettling Genealogies by artist and researcher Alessandra Ferrini, curated by Alberta Romano. It is hosted in the former Convent of San Mattia’s Nuns’ Refectory, now Sala Berti. Presented as part of the 2025 Italian Council programme, Unsettling Genealogies takes as its starting point a photograph of the opening of the Venice Film Festival in 1935 and the figure of Giuseppe Volpi, Count of Misurata: president of the Biennale, Fascist politician and a key figure in Italian cultural history. Ferrini’s research draws attention to the Fascist origins of some Italian art institutions while also exploring the private and emotional dimensions of history through reflections on her own family genealogy.
Family genealogies are also at the heart of A Queen in the Mirror, a photography project curated by Artierranti. Sonia Romani’s photographs depict a playful role reversal between grandmother and granddaughter: wearing a Queen Elizabeth II mask, everyday domestic life becomes an ironic overturning of identity, ritual and power.
