Contemporary Reggio Emilia

Contemporary Reggio Emilia is attentive to modernity and the constant change of society, culture and taste.

• Mediopadana AV Station: The Santiago Calatrava-designed station is the only stop along the High Speed line between Bologna and Milan, designed to serve the entire so-called Mediopadana area.

• Calatrava Bridges: Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the three white steel overpasses stand out as new gateways to Reggio Emilia, redesigning the city skyline in a contemporary way and serving as landmarks and recognition to the city itself.

• Evoluzione dell’ingegno: Placed a short distance from the Mediopadana AV Station, the sculpture is the result of the artistic genius of Franco Reggiani, a nationally and internationally known artist and designer. The work fuses together in a sculptural key fundamental part of seven different cars, from the nose of the Alfa P12, in which Enzo Ferrari raced his first race as Scuderia Ferrari, to the hood and wing of Villeneuve's T5.

• “Danza di astri e stelle” by Elideo Mattiacci: The National Dance Foundation is housed inside the so-called Fonderia39, one of the examples of industrial archeology and rehabilitation in the city. Located in the courtyard outside the building is the contemporary work, almost a modern astronomy book on which are engraved signs that expose us to a mysterious vision of the cosmos in continuous exploration.

• “Pesce four d’acqua” and “Iuana coeli”: The two works of art are located next to each other just a few steps from Porta Santa Croce. Fish Out of Water is by Giovanni Menada and recalls local history and tradition and a fish to stimulate reflection "on one of the conditions of man," as the author put it. Ianua Coeli, on the other hand, placed a short distance away, is the work of Giordano Montorsi and is meant to be the door to the city in a modern key that expands toward the environment and allows itself to be crossed, representing a closed city that opens up.

• International Centre Loris Malaguzzi: the Center was established as a result of and to carry on the work and studies of Reggio Emilia pedagogist Loris Malaguzzi and is one of the examples of industrial archeology in the city.

• Technopole: Center for mechanical, mechatronics, construction, agribusiness, energy & environment research. The technopole was established to produce and disseminate knowledge, attract hi-tech and high value-added enterprises, and serve as an incubator for start-ups and spin-offs.

• “Less than” di Robert Morris: “Less than” was conceived specifically for the secretive and silent Little Cloister of the Cloisters of San Domenico and initially combined the physicality of the sculpture with a sonic part that arose at dusk time by reproducing industrial sounds.

• L’araba fenice di Luciano Fabro: It is located in the portico of the former Zucchi Barracks, current city headquarters of the University of Modena and Reggio. It is a column of Iranian travertine-gold marble, about seven meters high and tapering slightly upward, that combines textural elements with workmanship designed to imitate the grain of trees in nature.

• Tricolor Museum: The ground floor of the Tricolor Museum hosts a rich section dedicated to contemporary art. The works are inspired by the flags displayed in the streets of the city in 2011, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy, which re-proposed, in large size, the different forms that the Tricolor has taken in its history.

• “Whirls and Thrils” by Sol Lewitt: Designed by the American artist for the city of Reggio Emilia in 2004, the impressive fresco was created on the vault of the Reading Room of the Panizzi Library by a group coordinated by three of Sol LeWitt's assistants with the collaboration of nine young Reggio Emilia artists.

• Marco Gerra’s work in Piazzale Duca d’Aosta: The sculpture is 10 meters tall by 90 quintals in weight and it is composed of eight geometrically shaped parts, welded together and painted in orange, white and black. It may evoke the industrial civilization, which in the early 20th century developed in the nearby Gardenia district.

• Maramotti Collection: Set up inside the Max Mara Group's first factory, it is the private contemporary art collection of the brand's founder himself. On display are more than two hundred works, including paintings, sculptures and installations, representative of major Italian and international art trends from 1945 to the present.