IAMVULNERABLE - A Transdisciplinary research between art, body, and contemporaneity -

VAI ALLA VERSIONE ITALIANA

IAMVULNERABLE is a non-profit project of artistic and socio-cultural research, launched in 2023 and recognized by the Lazio Region as a Good Cultural Practice. It was conceived as a map of the contemporary international landscape, capable of intertwining the most advanced artistic experimentation with the emerging creativity of European schools and academies. It is a laboratory of thought and action where art, education, and society meet to redefine the meaning of vulnerability as an aesthetic, ethical, and political resource. The research on the Contemporary Cathedrals of Vulnerability involves artists and professionals from the fields of visual arts, cinema, photography, dance, theatre, and music, together with teachers, students, and technical staff from the Academy of Fine Arts and high schools. It operates within the socio-cultural sphere, with a particular focus on inclusion and the socio-economic development of young people.

🟩 ACTIONS → what the project does, its lines of intervention.

🟧 CITY → where the project operated, its geographical network:

BUENOS AIRES (Argentina)
ISTANBUL (Türkiye)
LONDON (United Kingdom)
LOS ANGELES (USA)
NAPLES (Italy)
NEW YORK (USA)
PARIS (France)
ROME (Italy)
VELLETRI (Italy)
THESSALONIKI (Greece)
TOKYO (Japan)
WASHINGTON (USA)
ZARAGOZA (Spain)

🟥 ACTIVITIES → what the project actually did, the tangible results:

PUBLISHING – March 8, 2023 – Rome (Italy). Publication in Italian, English and French of the book Corpus et Vulnus. Tàpies, Parmiggiani, Kiefer
INSTITUTIONAL – July 12, 2023 – Rome (Italy). Foundation of the VulnerarTe Movement APS, a non-profit organization registered in the National Third Sector Register (RUNTS) and the National School–Work Alternation Register
ARTIST RESIDENCIES – April 30 – September 30, 2023 – Velletri (Italy), Former Pontifical Prison. Officina Alchemica delle Idee
FILM-TV PRODUCTION – April 30 – September 30, 2023 – Velletri (Italy), Former Pontifical Prison. Production of the experimental art films Vulnerare and Corpus et Vulnus
PUBLISHING – September 30, 2023 – Rome (Italy). Publication of the catalogue iosonovulnerabile (Part One)
PERFORMATIVE PRACTICES – September 30, 2023 – January 30, 2024 – Velletri (Italy), Former Pontifical Prison. (Chapter 1) iosonovulnerabile, therefore I live. Art is loving reality
MAGAZINE – January 29, 2024 – Rome (Italy). Birth of the VulnerarTe Magazine newspaper
EDUCATION & TRAINING – March 13 – April 23, 2024 – Rome (Italy), Piaget-Diaz High School. Three-year PCTO (Work-based learning) program Enter Outside Exit Inside
PUBLISHING – October 3, 2024 – Paris (France), Italian Cultural Institute. Publication of the catalogue jesuisvulnérable (Part Two)
CULTURAL EVENTS – October 3, 2024 – Paris (France), Italian Cultural Institute. European Premiere of the experimental art film Vulnerare
PERFORMATIVE PRACTICES – October 3 – November 29, 2024 – Paris (France), Italian Cultural Institute. (Chapter 2) iosonovulnerabile – Failing is an Achievement. Art is Loving Error
CULTURAL EVENTS – December 6, 2024 – Rome (Italy), Villa Altieri Museum. Italian Premiere of the experimental art film Vulnerare
PERFORMATIVE PRACTICES – December 6, 2024 – February 23, 2025 – Rome (Italy), Villa Altieri Museum. (Chapter 3) iosonovulnerabile – Antagonist of the Contemporary. Art is Loving Silence
CULTURAL EVENTS – January 16 – February 6, 2025 – Rome (Italy), Villa Altieri Museum. Curated by Roberta Melasecca and Michela Becchis: Un Dono with Anahi; Mariotti (Jan 16); Cor Habeo with Francesca Di Ciaula (Jan 23); Corpo vestito di carta with Silvia Stucky (Jan 30); Februare with Daniela Beltrani (Feb 6)
PUBLISHING – February 23, 2025 – Rome (Italy), Villa Altieri Museum. Publication of the catalogue iosonovulnerabile (Part Three)
CULTURAL EVENTS – May 15, 2025 – Buenos Aires (Argentine), 6th Edition, ¡Viva El Cine! Festival. Argentine Premiere of the experimental art film Vulnerare
CULTURAL EVENTS – August 3, 2025 – New York (USA), 9th Edition, Festival of Cinema NYC. World Premiere of the experimental art film Vulnerare,
awarded ‘Best Experimental Film 2025’
CULTURAL EVENTS – August 15, 2025 – Los Angeles (USA), Hollywood Best Indie Film Awards. Vulnerare awarded ‘Best Direction – Experimental Film’
CULTURAL EVENTS – September 26, 2025 – Washington (USA), 3rd Edition, NanoCon International Film Festival (NIFF). Official selection in competition of the experimental art film Vulnerare
CULTURAL EVENTS – October 4, 2025 – Rome (Italy), MAXXI – National Museum of 21st Century Arts. Special event Milieu – Returning to the Wounded Body, official initiative of the 21st Contemporary Art Day 2025. Special screening of Vulnerare and performance Who is Me by Lucia Bendia, a tribute to Pier Paolo Pasolini
PUBLISHING – October 14, 2025 – Rome (Italy). Publication in italian and english of the book The Basalt Threshold – From the Roots of the Immersive Image to Post-Organic Cinema for a Manifesto Film Between Vision, Body, and Artificial Intelligence
CULTURAL EVENTS – October 16, 2025 – Tokyo (Japan), 7th Edition, Tokyo Film & Screenplay Awards. Vulnerare awarded ‘Best Direction – Experimental Film’
CULTURAL EVENTS – October 23, 2025 – Rome (Italy), Villa Altieri Museum. Special event Milieu – Returning to the Wounded Body, official initiative of the 10th Edition of Rome Art Week. Special Screening of Vulnerare and performance Who is Me by Lucia Bendia, a tribute to Pier Paolo Pasolini
CULTURAL EVENTS – October 31, 2025 – New York (USA), 5th Edition of the Egyptian American Film Festival (EAFF). Vulnerare selected in competition for the ‘Short Narrative Film’ section
CULTURAL EVENTS – November 4, 2025 – Naples (Italy), 22nd edition of accordi @ DISACCORDI – International Short Film Festival. Vulnerare has been officially selected in competition in the ‘Experimental Film’ section
CULTURAL EVENTS – November 20, 2025 – Karnataka (India), 4th Edition Mei International Film Festival. Vulnerare selected and winner of the “2025 Best Short Film” award
PUBLISHING – December 1, 2025, Roma (Italy). Release of the book Il Treno dei Desideri by Alessandro Spitale.
CULTURAL EVENTS – December 3-4, 2025 – Zaragoza (Spain), 1st Edition of the .artimu. International Experimental Film Festival. Vulnerare selected in competition in the ‘Experimental Film’ section
PUBLISHING – December 8, 2025 – Rome (Italy) Convention Center | La Nuvola, “Più libri più liberi” Fair: launch of the book The Basalt Threshold
PUBLISHING – December 8, 2025 – Rome (Italy) Convention Center | La Nuvola, “Più libri più liberi” Fair: special screening of Vulnerare
CULTURAL EVENTS – December 9-10, 2025 – Torino (Italy), 1st Edition of the .artimu. International Experimental Film Festival. Vulnerare selected in competition in the ‘Experimental Film’ section
CULTURAL EVENTS – December 13-14, 2025 – Thessaloniki (Greece)), 1st Edition of the .artimu. International Experimental Film Festival. Vulnerare selected in competition in the ‘Experimental Film’ section
CULTURAL EVENTS – December 21-22, 2025 – Istanbul (Türkiye), 1st Edition of the .artimu. International Experimental Film Festival. Vulnerare selected in competition in the ‘Experimental Film’ section

🟦 Institutional statements:

PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

‘iosonovulnerabile’ is an important opportunity to reflect, raise awareness, and, above all, take stock of the actions that we must continue to pursue together to ensure that every person can fully participate in the life of our communities. Art and culture can truly make a difference: they allow us to explore new forms of expression and are essential to fostering the new approach we are promoting — one that invites us to see potential rather than limits in every individual. The issue of inclusion is increasingly central, and I am convinced that this is the right moment to highlight what can be achieved when we truly believe in it. It is a time of change, a major challenge that calls on us to move forward with determination and unity, to guarantee everyone the right to full participation in the civil, social, and political life of our country.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

‘iosonovulnerabile’ is a successful example of collaboration between public institutions and non-profit organizations working to promote and disseminate knowledge of artistic heritage and to make art accessible to a wider audience.

CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES

At the core of the entire cultural project ‘iosonovulnerabile’ lies the theme of vulnerability, which can be expressed aesthetically and transversally in many forms. Art possesses the mythopoietic power to transform this vulnerability — decay, hardship, suffering, and solitude — into beauty. As curator Illuminato writes, “Art is not a luxury, but a vital necessity.”

ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE OF PARIS

The research project ‘iosonovulnerabile’ begins with the acknowledgment of an undeniable truth: recognizing vulnerability as the constitutive element of human nature. Through the awareness of being fragile and finite universes, far removed from any aspiration to perfection, failure and error become essential qualities for both personal and collective growth, fostering solidarity within communities and deepening the understanding of the dynamics and questions of existence.

REGION OF LAZIO

The initiative ‘iosonovulnerabile’ carries not only artistic but also social value: art is a powerful universal language capable of stimulating reflection and raising awareness on important issues that touch the existential dimension as well. The setting of MAXXI and the involvement of students and professionals in the artistic initiative further enhance the value of a project that contributes to the prestige of our Region’s artistic scene.

ROME CAPITAL

Rome’s rich cultural heritage and history make it the ideal place to host new artistic avant-gardes. With ‘iosonovulnerabile’ and its curator Sergio Mario Illuminato, we hope to open new creative dialogues, inspiring a profound rethinking not only of art but also of human vulnerability and historical memory. I believe this project can spark new experiences and reflections, strengthening Rome’s role as a cultural capital open to innovation.

METROPOLITAN CITY OF ROME CAPITAL

The three-year collaboration with ‘iosonovulnerabile’ reinforces our ongoing commitment to building models of human and collective development that reflect the complexity and beauty of our existence.

MUNICIPALITY OF VELLETRI

We are witnessing the rebirth of the former Pontifical Prison of Velletri through art. It is culture and art themselves that help us understand, that open our eyes to what has been and what can become. Thanks to ‘iosonovulnerabile’ and Sergio Mario Illuminato, the history of this building comes back to life.

ROME ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS

The initiative by Sergio Mario Illuminato, which also involves many students, reaffirms that art and education are the true antidotes to humanize an increasingly dehumanized world. To ignite in a young person a spark of knowledge is, today, a revolutionary act. Teaching is an almost sacred choice.

IIS PIAGET–NOBILIORE–DIAZ

“The initiative sponsored by the Lazio Region and curated by artist Sergio Mario Illuminato demonstrates that young people are like rough diamonds, ready to receive the right stimuli to become jewels of extraordinary purity. For some young students of the Piaget–Nobiliore–Diaz Institute — a vocational school on the outskirts of Rome — this project has been a real opportunity to reflect on their own experiences and, at the same time, to make them unique, magical, unrepeatable, and to sublimate them as only art can. On behalf of myself and all the students of the school, I extend my most sincere thanks for this great (and hopefully not unique) opportunity.”

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