Megalomanie
Solo exhibition, 2025
Fondazione Nicola Del Roscio
Roma (Italy)
Curated by Carlotta Spinelli
and Davide Pellicciari
Solo exhibition, 2025
Fondazione Nicola Del Roscio
Roma (Italy)
Curated by Carlotta Spinelli
and Davide Pellicciari
A sudden boom, thick smoke, sirens. On Friday, May 2, a violent explosion shook the Nicola Del Roscio Foundation, in the heart of the Italian capital. The mysterious incident involved the well-known masked artist trio CANEMORTO. The three were working on their solo exhibition in Rome, consisting of ten giant intaglio prints, destined to enter the Guinness World Records. The explosion occurred at 2:38 PM, while the artists were engraving massive aluminum plates using highly corrosive acids. According to initial hypotheses, an unexpected chemical reaction may have caused the disaster.
When firefighters and law enforcement arrived, the scene was shocking: completely crumpled plates, burnt printing proofs, and—most notably—no trace of the three artists. In the center of the room, a small crater drew the investigators' attention. Incredibly, inside it were found ten micro intaglio prints, identical in detail to the matrices for the monumental works. Their existence, in those conditions, remains scientifically inexplicable.
Despite the mystery, the Foundation has decided not to cancel the opening of the exhibition, scheduled for May 9. The project curators, Carlotta Spinelli and Davide Pellicciari, made a bold choice: what was meant to be a technical triumph of intaglio art has been transformed into a post-disaster exhibition—a journey through relics, surviving fragments, and, above all, absence.
Set up like a contemporary archaeological site, the exhibition offers a vibrant narrative, blending art, science, and the unknown. Despite the many questions and theories already circulating online, one thing is certain: fortunately, there were no casualties, and the incident—though unsettling—left no tragic consequences. But the mystery of CANEMORTO remains unsolved.
Lea Biagi
TRAILER
Video filmed and edited by Marco Proserpio
Written and performed by CANEMORTO
Audio recording, audio mixing and original music by Matteo Pansana
Photographs by Giorgio Benni
When firefighters and law enforcement arrived, the scene was shocking: completely crumpled plates, burnt printing proofs, and—most notably—no trace of the three artists. In the center of the room, a small crater drew the investigators' attention. Incredibly, inside it were found ten micro intaglio prints, identical in detail to the matrices for the monumental works. Their existence, in those conditions, remains scientifically inexplicable.
Despite the mystery, the Foundation has decided not to cancel the opening of the exhibition, scheduled for May 9. The project curators, Carlotta Spinelli and Davide Pellicciari, made a bold choice: what was meant to be a technical triumph of intaglio art has been transformed into a post-disaster exhibition—a journey through relics, surviving fragments, and, above all, absence.
Set up like a contemporary archaeological site, the exhibition offers a vibrant narrative, blending art, science, and the unknown. Despite the many questions and theories already circulating online, one thing is certain: fortunately, there were no casualties, and the incident—though unsettling—left no tragic consequences. But the mystery of CANEMORTO remains unsolved.
Lea Biagi
TRAILER
Video filmed and edited by Marco Proserpio
Written and performed by CANEMORTO
Audio recording, audio mixing and original music by Matteo Pansana
Photographs by Giorgio Benni
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