Pier Paolo Pasolini. Tutto è santo

The exhibition tackles the theme of sacrality seen from different angles, following different but complementary paths through the exhibition spaces of Palazzo Barberini, MAXXI and Palazzo delle Esposizioni.

2022 marks the centenary of the birth of Pier Paolo Pasolini, one of the most complex and essential intellectuals and creators of the 20th century. To mark the occasion, the Gallerie Nazionali Barberini Corsini, the Fondazione MAXXI and the Azienda Speciale Palaexpo di Roma are launching a coordinated project to celebrate the poet in the three Roman museums.

Pier Paolo Pasolini. Tutto è Santo (Everything is holy), is the title inspired by the phrase uttered by the wise man Chiron in the film Medea (1969) and outlines what is considered sacred for the poet: the archaic, religious world of the underclass that is in stark conflict with the hero of a rational, secular, bourgeois and neo-capitalist world. At MAXXI, the key to interpreting Pasolini’s work is provided through the voices of contemporary artists, whose works evoke the author’s political commitment and the analysis of the social content inspired by his works.

Pasolini’s constant dedication to the issues of public life and his acute observation of power dynamics have made him a prophet whom many generations have looked to for guidance in their own research. The authenticity of common people that becomes sacredness, the disappearance of the suburbs, the effects of massive media consumption on the general public, the great powers seen as disruptive forces of our present, the voice of the artist as an act of protest and prophecy are the themes that articulate the sections designed for the exhibition.