Following the renewed collaboration with Società Umanitaria through the talk series “Migrazioni e Archivio”, NABA presents the exhibition “Cartografie della memoria. Viaggio nell’Archivio della Società Umanitaria”. The show—opening on July 1 at Società Umanitaria (Via San Barnaba 48, Milan) from 6:30 PM—features works created by students from the BA in Painting and Visual Arts, under the guidance of NABA lecturers Stefano Boccalini and Stefano Serretta. 

The exhibition is curated by students from the MA in Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies at the Academy, led by NABA lecturer Lilia Di Bella. 

NABA presents the exhibition “Cartografie della memoria. Viaggio nell’Archivio della Società Umanitaria” 

The exhibition stems from a reinterpretation of the archive of the historic philanthropic institution, where historical memory meets artistic interpretation. The students explored four emblematic socio-cultural experiences tied to the emancipation of the working class: the Teatro del Popolo, inaugurated in 1911 as a school of artistic education and social advancement for the popular masses; the Casa degli Emigranti, active from 1907 near Milan’s former Central Station, which offered crucial support to thousands of Italian workers leaving for abroad in search of better opportunities and a more dignified life; the Scuola del Libro, founded in 1904 as a pioneering training ground for the graphic arts, inspired by the principles of modern design and destined to become a true Italian Bauhaus; and the collaboration with renowned educator Maria Montessori, which led to the creation of the first Case dei Bambini in Milan’s Workers’ Districts, giving working-class children access to innovative education based on freedom and autonomy, bringing the Montessori method into service of the working class. 

By intersecting these stories through the shared concept of “journey”—understood not as an escape, but as a path of knowledge, rediscovery, and collective transformation—the four experiences, though distinct, reveal a common ability to foster awareness. In particular, they helped shape the consciousness of the Quarto Stato (the Fourth Estate), which, through them, recognised itself as an autonomous and active subject within society. The works created by the students do not simply recover the past—they continuously rewrite it, filling the gaps in official history and responding to the urgencies of the present and the exhibition aims to explore the relationship between narrative and identity, inviting visitors to actively take part in the process of rewriting the past in order to build new awareness and fresh visions of the future. 

The opening event will feature contributions from Marco Scotini (NABA Visual Arts Department Head), Alberto Jannuzzelli (President, Società Umanitaria), Stefano Serretta (artist and NABA lecturer), Stefano Boccalini (artist and NABA lecturer), and Andrea Tinterri (curator and art critic). 

Previous events in the “Migrazioni e Archivio” series  

The exhibition was preceded by the “Migrazioni e Archivio” programme, curated by Marco Scotini and Andrea Tinterri, which unfolded across three events. These talks featured guests and themes that anticipated the subjects explored by NABA students in the exhibition “Cartografie della memoria. Viaggio nell’Archivio della Società Umanitaria”: 

• On April 2, Adrian Paci (NABA lecturer and internationally renowned artist whose work explores the human condition through the lens of migration) presented the talk “Spostamenti e aperture”, retracing his artistic journey and focusing on migratory dynamics that are increasingly central to public debate. 

• On May 14, Marco Scotini explored the archive as a space of memory, social participation and political agency. The talk “Diaspora e soggettività”, moderated by Andrea Tinterri, delved into the role of archives in contemporary art and discussed the key project Disobedience Archive, exhibited at the most recent Venice Biennale. 

• On June 4, during the talk “Lontano da dove”, Paola Di Bello reflected on the ability of visual arts—especially photography and video—to serve as tools for cultural mediation. Starting from her work Video Rom, in which she builds a "bridge" through a photographic exchange between some Romani people living in Milan and their relatives who remained in Romania, she explored the role of artistic practices in connecting distant lives and contexts. 

NABA presents the exhibition “Cartografie della memoria. Viaggio nell’Archivio della Società Umanitaria”: opening details   

Tuesday, July 1, from 6:30 PM 

Società Umanitaria 

Via San Barnaba, 48, Milan 

Free entrance upon reservation on Eventbrite