There is an appointment, next June 14, 2026, that is worth marking in your diary. Not only for those who study art or frequent the world of contemporary culture, but for anyone who wants to experience Rome in a different way: more participatory, more collective, more alive.
In Piazza del Popolo, starting from 5.00 pm, one of the most ambitious artistic actions of the season will take shape: a collective performance dedicated to the Third Paradise, the symbol created by Maestro Michelangelo Pistoletto and brought to the square by hundreds of young artists from all over Italy and abroad.
What is the Third Paradise and why is it important
The Third Paradise is one of the most powerful and recognizable concepts in contemporary Italian art. Designed by Michelangelo Pistoletto – one of the fathers of Arte Povera – it is represented by a symbol composed of three interconnected circles: the two external ones represent nature and artifice, the third, central, is the generative space in which the two opposites meet and transform.
It’s not just an image: it’s a philosophy. An invitation to rethink the relationship between man and the environment, between tradition and innovation, between individual and community. Bringing it to a public square, physically composed of the works of hundreds of students, means making it even more concrete and accessible.
Who participates and how the event works
The initiative is promoted by Giocata alle Arti, in collaboration with the Pistoletto Cittadellarte Foundation, and organized by BAM ARTE. It is aimed at students and scholarship holders of the Academies of Fine Arts – Italian and international – and art high schools.
Each participant brings their own work with them. The works are then placed on the ground, guided by facilitators, until they physically compose the sign of the Third Paradise. The result is a large collective public installation, documented with photographic and video footage from above.
The project is curated by Giulia Abate, Delfina Bergamaschi and Francesco Saverio Teruzzi, together with the Culture Department of Municipality I of Rome Center, and will be supported by Documenta.LIVE – Luca Rossi as a moment connected to the 2026 Venice Biennale.
The program of the day
The day opens at 5.00 pm with the welcoming of the participants: check-in of the artists, assignment of the symbolic areas within the sign of the Third Paradise and an information brief on the methods of the performance.
At 7.00 pm there will be space for institutional and artistic interventions, with the voices of representatives of the Municipality of Rome, the Pistoletto Cittadellarte Foundation, Call to the Arts and BAM ARTE.
The heart of the evening arrives at 7.30pm: the artists arrange their works on the ground, guided by the facilitators in the collective composition of the symbol. A choral action that ends with photographic and video documentation, including shots from above that will restore the finished form of the installation.
The event officially closes at 8.30pm, with the conclusion of the performance and final greetings.
Because it’s worth being there
Beyond the visual spectacularity — and the overhead shots promise memorable images — this event has a meaning that goes beyond aesthetics. It is an act of civil presence. It demonstrates that young artists are not just passive users of culture, but subjects capable of producing, inhabiting and transforming it.
As Silvia Giulia Ghia, Councilor for Culture of Municipality I, underlines, the Third Paradise brought to the square is «an affirmation of culture as a living, participatory practice, capable of uniting art, citizenship and care of the territory». And the President of Municipality I, Lorenza Bonaccorsi, adds that welcoming this project means treating the territory “not only as a scenario, but as a space of participation and shared responsibility”.
And after? The exhibition in September
The June 14th event is just one stage. The initiative is part of the broader path of “Chiamata alle Arti 2026”, the exhibition that will be hosted by the Lazio Region at the WeGil in Rome at the end of September – confirming Call to the Arts as one of the most solid institutional references in support of Academies and young emerging talents.
How to participate or assist
The event is open to everyone and entry is free, subject to registration on: trovaallearti.eventribe.com
