The Power City: Cyborg Dystopia — Marco Bolognesi solo show at DAMSLab

The Power City: Cyborg Dystopia — Marco Bolognesi at DAMSLab

From 6 to 29 May, DAMSLab in Bologna hosts The Power City: Cyborg Dystopia, a solo exhibition by artist and filmmaker Marco Bolognesi. Curated by Professors Giacomo Manzoli and Francesco Spampinato, the project blends installation, film and digital media to explore Bolognesi's science‑fiction universe.

The opening is scheduled for Wednesday 6 May at 18:00 with the artist in attendance; at 19:00 the same evening the auditorium will screen the feature film The Truth on Sendai City (2024), followed by a discussion with Bolognesi, the curators and film critic Roberto Chiesi.

Exhibition highlights

• Interactive central installation: a futuristic city made from reclaimed materials that comes alive through augmented reality, functioning as both environmental sculpture and film set.
• Curated path: models of spacecraft, drawings of cyborgs and mutants, and a selection of short films from 1994 to the present illustrating the artist's creative process.
• Themes: relationships between humans and machines, borders between reality and simulation, and genetic manipulation, centered on the symbolic Sendai City project.

About the artist

Trained at the DAMS department of the University of Bologna, Marco Bolognesi evolved a multidisciplinary practice that includes photography, painting, animation and digital installations. His work has been shown in institutions such as MACRO and the Palazzo delle Arti di Napoli, and he has published works like the graphic novel Protocollo (Einaudi, 2009) and the monograph Sendai City (2014).

Key details

• Exhibition dates: 6–29 May
• Opening: 6 May, 18:00 (artist present)
• Screening: 6 May, 19:00 — The Truth on Sendai City (73', Italy, 2024) with a post‑screening talk.
• Venue: DAMSLab, Piazzetta Pasolini 5/B, Bologna

Practical information

The exhibition is part of the cultural program La Soffitta 2026 — Bologna crossroads of cultures by the University of Bologna. Check DAMSLab's official channels for updated opening hours and additional events.