Giuliana
Benassi

Giuliana Benassi (Forlì, 1984) Lives and works in Rome. Art historian and independent curator. She graduated in Art History from the University of Pisa. Her research focuses on the relationship between the work of art and the exhibition space, with a particular emphasis on the concept of site-specificity. Her exploration of the genesis of the work of art in non-conventional exhibition spaces forms the basis of a curatorial and theoretical approach that prioritises reflection on the complex dynamics that link the work, the space and the audience. She has been a lecturer in Museum Education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome since 2021; she also teaches a course on the History of Contemporary Art at the Istituto Pantheon in Milan. At the IED Florence, she taught a course in Curatorial Practice entitled ‘Outside the White Cube’. She is Art Advisor at the American Academy in Rome. She is the co-founder and director of the project There Is No Place Like Home, for which she received the Artribune Prize for Contemporary Art in 2017. Since 2014, she has been the curator of the ‘Ritratto a mano’ artist-in-residence programme. She writes for the art magazines Rivista Segno and Exibart. She has collaborated with various institutions, associations and galleries, including: Tang Contemporary in Hong Kong; Laboratorio della Mente Museum; the Swiss Institute; artQ13; Materia in Rome; Fondazione Lac o Le Mon in Lecce; MAMbo in Bologna; Galleria Mazzoli in Berlin and Modena; Follemente Festival in Teramo; and the Italian Cultural Institute in London. She has edited books for the publishing houses Silvana Editoriale, NERO, Viaindustriae, Maretti Editore and Palombi Editore.

The course aims to address the concept of the exhibition space as an educational catalyst, a conduit for the relationship between the work of art and the public, in order to conduct a critical analysis of the development of the contemporary art system. Starting with the history of the main museums and spaces dedicated to contemporary art, the course aims to explore educational and communication methods in contemporary art exhibition spaces, also examining a number of examples where artistic and/or curatorial practice helps to shape the relationship with the public.
In addition, the course will consider education ‘outside the museum’, referring to independent organisations that are exploring this issue and proposing new avenues for experimentation.

Adam G., L’inarrestabile ascesa dei musei privati, Johan Johan & Levi Editore, Monza 2021;

Miwon Kwon, Un luogo dopo l’altro, Postmedia Books, Milan, 2020 (Italian translation);

Poli F., Bernardelli F., Mettere in scena l’arte contemporanea, Johan & Levi Editore, Monza 2016;

Cataldo L., Paraventi M., Il Museo Oggi. Linee guida per una museologia contemporanea, Linee guida per una museologia contemporanea, Hoepli, Milan 2007.