Italia Media Art Festival 2026: Digital Art, Innovation and International Exhibitions in Italy and Venezuela

IMAF 2026 presents 17 video artworks in Rome, then heads to Maker Faire and Caracas before its Grand International Exhibition in Zagarolo, November 20–22.

ROMA, ROME, ITALY, October 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The third edition of the Italia Media Art Festival (IMAF) brings together digital art, technological innovation and audiovisual experimentation through an international program connecting Italy and Venezuela. The Festival’s official Italian premiere will take place on Thursday, October 22, at 3:00 PM, at the Conference Hall of Università degli Studi di Roma UnitelmaSapienza, Piazza Sassari 4, Rome.

The event will launch a program that continues at Maker Faire Rome (October 23–25), followed by a special screening at the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB) in Caracas on October 30, and culminates in the Grand International Exhibition at Palazzo Rospigliosi in Zagarolo, November 20–22.

The Rome premiere will showcase 17 video artworks, including 13 selected through an international Open Call supported by Enel and four works by invited artists. The Festival will also introduce 11 video installation projects and announce the artistic performances selected for the concluding exhibition in Zagarolo.

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, promoter of Rome Art Week; and Marinellys Tremamunno, Founder and Artistic Director of IMAF. The event will be moderated by Roberto Sciarrone, Head of Communications at UnitelmaSapienza.

Artists Anastasia Pavlova, Ivan Andre, Claudio Marani, Victoria Thomen, Mariia Plekhova and Joseph Ayerle will also attend, offering audiences an opportunity to discover the creative processes behind their works.

The presentation will be livestreamed on UnitelmaSapienza’s official YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UnitelmaSapienza_yt

An International Festival Connecting Italy and Venezuela

The Italian premiere follows the World Premiere on October 20 in Maracaibo, Venezuela, hosted at the Centro de Bellas Artes – Ateneo de Maracaibo. This international expansion reflects the Festival’s commitment to connecting artistic communities across borders.

The Venezuelan premiere was developed with the contribution of Jimmy Yánez, IMAF’s Artistic Director for Latin America, who co-curated the Video Art selection alongside 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 Tremamunno, an Italian-Venezuelan journalist and the Festival’s founder.

The international program will continue on October 30, at 11:00 AM, with a Special Screening at the Espacio Americano Grace Hopper, located at the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB) in Caracas.

Energy as a Force for Transformation

Founded in 2024 and promoted by Associazione Piccola Venezia APS, IMAF is an international platform dedicated to artistic creation through emerging technologies, fostering dialogue between artists, audiences, institutions and the innovation sector.

The 2026 curatorial theme, “The Energy That Transforms: Human and Spiritual Strength Becoming Action for the Future,” invites artists to explore energy as a transformative force extending beyond its physical and technological dimensions.

This year’s edition received 144 international submissions, the highest number since the Festival’s foundation, reflecting growing interest in artistic experimentation at the intersection of creativity, technology and contemporary social questions.

“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 Festival is supported by Enel, sponsor of the Video Art & Performance Open Call, and Snam, sponsor of the Video Installations Open Call, with the collaboration of Rome Art Week, Maker Faire Rome and UnitelmaSapienza.

IMAF at Maker Faire Rome 2026

From October 23 to 25, IMAF will participate in Maker Faire Rome – The European Edition, at the Gazometro Ostiense (Stand E0).

Visitors will experience screenings of selected video artworks alongside interactive installations combining creativity and emerging technologies.

This participation will bring contemporary media art to a wider audience, encouraging engagement with immersive artistic experiences and innovative forms of visual expression.

Through its installations and screenings, IMAF will explore energy not only as a technological resource but also as a human and spiritual force capable of inspiring transformation.

The Grand International Exhibition in Zagarolo

The Festival’s final stage will take place from November 20 to 22 at Palazzo Rospigliosi in Zagarolo, 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 feature 17 video artworks and 11 video installations, combining projects selected through international Open Calls with works by invited artists, including Plekhova herself.

The exhibition will encompass virtual reality, artificial intelligence, interactive installations and audiovisual experimentation, alongside traditional visual artworks. This encounter between digital and conventional artistic practices will encourage reflection on the relationship between technology, human creativity and cultural heritage.

Live artistic performances, whose participants will be announced during the October 22 premiere, will further expand the exhibition’s interdisciplinary approach.

For IMAF, the collaboration with Lazio Innova represents a significant step in its development, connecting contemporary artistic research with institutional initiatives supporting innovation and creative industries.

The exhibition aligns with the activities of Lazio Innova’s Spazio Attivo Network and FabLab Lazio, as well as Zagarolo Game City, an acceleration program supporting the gaming sector and digital entrepreneurship.

“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 open on Friday, November 20, at 5:00 PM. Visitors can explore the exhibition free of charge on November 21 and 22, from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, with last admission at 6:00 PM.

Through its growing international network and partnerships, IMAF continues to strengthen its mission of promoting media art as a space for artistic innovation, cultural exchange and reflection on the future.

More information: www.italiamediaartfestival.it

Instagram: @italiamediaartfestival

Marinellys Tremamunno Arcila
ITALIA MEDIA ART FESTIVAL
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