Rome, October 20, 2026 – Digital art meets innovation and audiovisual experimentation in the third edition of the Italia Media Art Festival (IMAF), which will be officially presented to the Italian public on Thursday, October 22, at 3:00 PM, at the Conference Hall of the Università degli Studi di Roma UnitelmaSapienza, Piazza Sassari 4, Rome.
The Italian premiere will launch a series of events beginning with Maker Faire Rome – The European Edition, from October 23 to 25, marking the Festival's first exhibition stage. The program will then continue in Venezuela on October 30, at 11:00 AM, with a Special Screening at the Espacio Americano Grace Hopper of the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB), in Caracas, before culminating in the Grand International Exhibition, scheduled for November 20–22 at Palazzo Rospigliosi in Zagarolo.
The Rome premiere will feature screenings of 17 video artworks, including 13 selected through an international Open Call supported by Enel and four created by invited artists. The 11 video installation projects scheduled for the Grand International Exhibition in Zagarolo will also be presented, alongside the announcement of the artistic performances selected for the Festival's concluding event.
The official presentation will feature Alessandro Zehentner, Chairman of Snam; Maria Chiara Iannarelli, Regional Councillor of Lazio; Massimiliano Padovan Di Benedetto, President of Associazione Kou, which promotes Rome Art Week; and Marinellys Tremamunno, Founder and Artistic Director of the Italia Media Art Festival. The event will be moderated by Roberto Sciarrone, Head of Communications at UnitelmaSapienza.
The event will also welcome artists Anastasia Pavlova, Ivan Andre, Claudio Marani, Victoria Thomen, Mariia Plekhova, and Joseph Ayerle, offering the public an opportunity to meet some of the protagonists of the Festival's third edition and gain insight into the artistic research behind their works.
The event will be livestreamed on UnitelmaSapienza's official YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UnitelmaSapienza_yt
The Rome event will take place just two days after the World Premiere on October 20 in Maracaibo, Venezuela, hosted at the Teatro de Bellas Artes of the Centro de Bellas Artes – Ateneo de Maracaibo. The choice of the Venezuelan city marks another milestone in the Festival's international expansion, thanks in part to the contribution of Jimmy Yánez, IMAF's Artistic Director for Latin America and co-curator of the Video Art selection alongside the Festival's founder, Marinellys Tremamunno.
"For me, this premiere also holds a deeply personal meaning. I am of Venezuelan origin, and my connection to this country is part of my history and identity. Art has the power to build bridges between different communities and experiences," says Marinellys Tremamunno, an Italian-Venezuelan journalist, Founder and Artistic Director of the Festival.
Energy as a Force for Transformation
Founded in 2024 and promoted by Associazione Piccola Venezia APS, the Italia Media Art Festival is an international platform that promotes artistic creation through new technologies, encouraging dialogue among artists, audiences, and the world of innovation.
This year's curatorial theme is "The Energy That Transforms: Human and Spiritual Strength Becoming Action for the Future." The third edition received 144 international submissions, the highest number since the Festival's founding, confirming growing interest in a project that connects creativity, technological research, and reflection on the future.
"Technology is part of this exploration, including artificial intelligence, but the questions arise from our human experience: how we relate to one another, what we remember, what kind of world we are building, and what responsibility we have toward it," explains Tremamunno.
The 2026 edition is supported by Enel, sponsor of the Video Art & Performance Open Call, and Snam, sponsor of the Video Installations Open Call, alongside collaborations with Rome Art Week, Maker Faire Rome, and the Università degli Studi di Roma UnitelmaSapienza.
The First Exhibition Stage at Maker Faire Rome
Following the Italian premiere, IMAF will participate in Maker Faire Rome – The European Edition, from October 23 to 25, at the Gazometro Ostiense (Stand E0), featuring screenings of selected works and a selection of interactive installations.
Participation in one of Europe's leading innovation events will allow the Festival to reach a broad and diverse audience, creating new opportunities for interaction between contemporary art, emerging technologies, and creative experimentation.
The experience presented by IMAF will invite visitors to explore energy not only as a technological resource but also as a human and spiritual force capable of driving transformation, connecting artistic creativity with innovation.
The Grand International Exhibition at Palazzo Rospigliosi, Zagarolo
The IMAF 2026 program will culminate in the Grand International Exhibition, taking place from November 20 to 22 at Palazzo Rospigliosi in Zagarolo, organized in collaboration with the Lazio Region, through Lazio Innova, and the Palazzo Rospigliosi Institution of the Municipality of Zagarolo.
Curated by Marinellys Tremamunno and Mariia Plekhova, the exhibition will bring together 17 video artworks and 11 video installations, including projects selected through the international Open Calls and works by invited artists, among them a creation by Plekhova herself.
The exhibition will feature virtual reality, interactive installations, artificial intelligence, and audiovisual experimentation, alongside works by visual artists using traditional techniques and artistic languages. This encounter between different forms of artistic expression will create a dialogue between tradition and innovation, the material world and the digital dimension.
The program will also be enriched by artistic performances, whose participating artists will be officially announced during the Rome premiere on October 22. These performances will provide further opportunities for interaction between artists and audiences, expanding the dialogue between art, technology, and live experience.
For the Festival, founded in 2024, this new stage represents a significant step forward, strengthening collaboration with local institutions and highlighting culture and creativity as resources for innovation, economic growth, and the development of new skills.
The initiative is part of the broader activities promoted by Lazio Innova's Spazio Attivo Network and FabLab Lazio, spaces dedicated to experimentation, cross-disciplinary collaboration between art, technology, and business, and the promotion of creative talent.
The exhibition also aligns with initiatives supporting the cultural and creative industries, including the Zagarolo Game City acceleration program, which helps strengthen the regional gaming ecosystem by fostering connections between digital innovation, cultural production, and new entrepreneurial opportunities.
"This edition represents a turning point for us. Palazzo Rospigliosi and our collaboration with Lazio Innova provide digital art with an institutional setting worthy of its ambitions," emphasizes Tremamunno.
The Grand International Exhibition will officially open on Friday, November 20, at 5:00 PM. The exhibition will be open to the public with free admission on Saturday, November 21, and Sunday, November 22, from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM (last admission at 6:00 PM).
IMAF 2026 EVENTS
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October 20, 6:00 PM – World Premiere: Centro de Bellas Artes, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
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October 22, 3:00 PM – Italian Premiere and Announcement of Selected Performances: Università UnitelmaSapienza, Conference Hall, Piazza Sassari 4, Rome.
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October 23–25, 10:00 AM–7:00 PM – Maker Faire Rome: Gazometro Ostiense, Rome.
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October 30, 11:00 AM – Special Screening: Espacio Americano Grace Hopper, Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB), Caracas, Venezuela.
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November 20, 5:00 PM – Opening of the Grand International Exhibition: Palazzo Rospigliosi, Zagarolo.
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November 21–22, 10:00 AM–7:00 PM – Exhibition Open to the Public: Palazzo Rospigliosi, Zagarolo. Free admission.
More information: www.italiamediaartfestival.it
Instagram: @italiamediaartfestival
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