Sheherazade Mahassini, Adelita Husni Bey, Giulia Beatrice
A Collection in Turmoil III – Infrastruttura

On June 27 the Museo delle Civiltà hosted A Collection in Turmoil III – Infrastruttura, a conversation between Italian-Libyan artist Adelita Husni Bey and international scholars Sheherazade Mahassini (Royal College of Art, London) and Giulia Beatrice (Biblioteca Hertziana, Rome).

The artist and scholars, hosted by the installation modules of DAAR-Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti, explored the relationship between ideology and infrastructure, with a focus on the former Italian colonies, while also offering a reflection on how the performing arts can reveal these dynamics.The conversation anticipates the workshop A Collection in Turmoil III – Vulnerable Infrastructure, led by Adelita Husni Bey at the Museo delle Civiltà in September.

The workshop, hosted by the Museum since 2022 and conceived as a progressive and shared analysis of the collections of the former Colonial Museum of Rome, allows for the activation of moments of collective learning and shared thinking, in which, using cooperative and non-competitive pedagogical methods, it is possible to reflect critically on the multiple histories and perspectives of the institution, including its unspoken ones.This year’s appointment focuses on the concept of infrastructure, exploring the management of water resources within colonial processes and the current climate crisis in the Libyan context, and will produce the video installation Adaptability (Like a Flood), which will be presented at the upcoming Sharjah Biennial in 2025, co-producer of the event together with the Museum.

The project is realized with the support of and in collaboration with Museo delle Civiltà.