INFRASUPRA

ALICJA KWADE · curated by Valentino Catricalà · SEASON V · 29 October 2025 — 29 July 2026

For its fifth Season, FOROF presents INFRASUPRA, a site-specific exhibition by Alicja Kwade (Katowice, Poland, 1979), curated by Valentino Catricalà. It is the artist’s first large-scale installation in a non-conventional space, unfolding between the ground floor, the underground area and the site of the Basilica Ulpia, in the heart of Trajan’s Forum.

Alicja Kwade transforms FOROF into an immersive environment where past and present intertwine. The works establish a dialogue with the historic architecture and the marble remains of the ancient basilica, inviting visitors to a unique sensory and contemplative experience.

Infra / Supra

The title INFRASUPRA refers to the idea of being “infra” and “supra” a history, crossing thresholds of perception where the artworks appear as new relics or artifacts of a parallel future. The exhibition highlights the temporal and material stratification of the site, which becomes an integral part of the artistic language.

The path

The path begins at the street level with Uranus and Jupiter, two seat-sculptures welcoming visitors. In the underground rooms is Ghost (2025), a bronze sculpture made with a 3D scan and an ironic representation of the artist as a “ghost”. It is followed by works from the MalusMultiplex series and by the monumental Sfera, placed in the archaeological area in dialogue with The Heavy Light (2021).

Floor intervention

The artist also intervenes on the floors: in the areas without marble slabs, a black felt covering creates a suspension effect and enhances the original surfaces, renewing the perception of the site and intensifying the dialogue between ancient and contemporary.

Artist’s statement

“My work comes from the desire to observe the world from different perspectives, imagining other ways of perceiving reality. In a place like FOROF, full of memory and stratifications, this dialogue becomes even more alive.” — Alicja Kwade

Curator’s note

“With INFRASUPRA, Alicja Kwade adds a new layer to her work on time, intertwining the unique archaeological temporality of FOROF with the geological temporality of her poetic practice and the human temporality of the viewer. The installation stands as a conceptual portal entitled INFRASUPRA. It is in this archaeological context that the artist finds the ideal environment for a three-dimensional reflection on the concept of time. Her works, often sculptures and installations playing with symmetry, copy and refraction, enter into direct dialogue with the weight of history. The perception of the viewer is inevitably filtered by the awareness of standing infra / supra a story, with the artworks appearing as new relics or artifacts of a parallel future, amplifying the echo of the ruins.” — Valentino Catricalà

Public Program

The project is accompanied by a cycle of five Episodes featuring sound artist and performer Simone Pappalardo, poet Jonida Prifti, and the music label Grzegorzki Records (Alicja Kwade and Gregor Hildebrand).

Alicja Kwade

Alicja Kwade lives and works in Berlin. She is currently a resident at the German Academy Villa Massimo, among the winners of the 2025/2026 Rome Prize. She is considered one of the most significant voices on the international contemporary art scene. Her practice focuses on investigating perception, matter and time through sculptures, installations and site-specific works that question systems of reference and conventions of reality. She has exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Venice Biennale, LACMA in Los Angeles, and the Whitechapel Gallery in London.

Valentino Catricalà

Valentino Catricalà has curated exhibitions in major international museums and galleries including the Grand Palais in Paris, Fondazione Prada (Milan, Tokyo), Minnesota Street Project (San Francisco), Hermitage (St Petersburg), Palazzo delle Esposizioni and MAXXI (Rome). He currently directs a new project for the Ministry of Culture in Saudi Arabia as museum director. He is co-curator, with Barbara London, of the D’Oro D’Art project in collaboration with Marian Goodman Gallery. He is a member of the advisory board of the Zentrum für Kunst und Medien in Karlsruhe and of Esea Contemporary in Manchester.

With thanks to Galleria Continua, German Academy Rome Villa Massimo, Polish Institute of Rome and Credem Euromobiliare Private Banking. In partnership with Rimessa Roscioli.