Thursday October 11, 2018. 6:00 - 8:00 PM EDT. Embassy of Italy, 3000 Whitehaven St NW, Washington, DC 20008. Italy is synonymous with history. We visit Rome and Naples and see remnants of an ancient civilization. But Italy has a modern side too, that comprises of some exceptional contemporary artists that art lovers should have on their radar.

On the occasion of the International Day of Italian Contemporary Art, promoted by AMACI, the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute in Washington D.C. will host a conversation on new trends in Italian Art featuring curator Ilaria Bernardi and artist Massimo Bartolini, with Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu, Founders of Magazzino Italian Art. A selection of photographs by Marco Anelli, documenting the construction of Magazzino Italian Art and a number of works by artist Massimo Bartolini, will be on display.

Bartolini’s work embraces various materials and techniques, from sculpture and installation to photography. His works include an elevated floor, creating the impression of a distorted space, an installation using a device on the heel of visitors’ shoes to alter the light in the exhibition space, and rooms pervaded with scents and the soothing sound of water. These, often sensual pieces of art, induce the viewer in a meditative state that is still highly heuristic and make us reflect on the concept of relativity, on what is stable and unchangeable.