The Mirror Project

As one of the projects of Agrigento Capitale Italiana della Cultura 2025, the Mirror project was realised in collaboration with The Atlas (of Creative Mechanisms): [Curating–Conducting]. Curated by Başak Şenova and Jonatan Habib Engqvist, the project partnered with eight institutions across Europe, and the National Museum of Modern Art (Zagreb) is the first institution to host a screening and book launch in 2026.

The participating artists of the Mirror project are Ali Cherri (LB/FR), Almagul Menlibeyeva (KZ/DE), Cristiana de Marchi (IT/LB/AE), Egle Oddo (IT/FI), Emilija Škarnulytė (LT), Francesco Bellina (IT), Hera Büyüktasciyan (TR), Herrana Addisu (ET/US), The Icelandic Love Corporation (IS), Isa Rosenberger (AT), Jesper Just (DE), Johan Thom (ZA), Larissa Sansour (PS/UK) – Søren Lind (DK/UK), Marcus Neustetter (AT), Marja Helander (FI), The ZoNE (AT), Maria Lantz (SE), Nisrine Boukhari (SY/AT), Oya Silbery (CY), Rojda Tugrul (TR/AT), Ramesch Daha (AT), Superflex (DK), Theresa Traore Dahlberg (SE), Wael Shawky (EG), and William Kentridge (ZA).

Programme

• Branko Franceschi, introducing the project
• Basak Senova, presenting the project and the book
• Screening of the ACT IV, featuring “Kwassa Kwassa” (2015) by Superflex (DK), “The Theory of Displacement (Fragment #1) (2008) by Johan Thom (ZA), “A Turtle in Ten Seconds” (2023) by Rojda Tuğrul (TR/AT), “The River” (2024) by Herrena Adisu (ET/US)

The event is hosted by the NMMA – National Museum of Modern Art (Zagreb). The book is published by ARUCAD Press, Cyprus.

Mirror project
The Mirror project consisted of three interconnected chapters. The first chapter was the experimental exhibition held on the stage of Teatro Pirandello in Agrigento. It combined a film screening with photographs, inviting the audience to step onto the stage to experience the photographs in a unique exhibition setup and watch the films as opera audiences. The second chapter was the book that mirrored art and the city of Agrigento. It processed observations through the eyes of a stray cat hovering around the city. The third chapter entails the dissemination of the film programme and the book to partner institutions in different cities across Europe in 2026: Istanbul Modern (Istanbul), Kunsthalle Wien (Vienna), Kunsthaus Dahlem (Berlin), Liljevalchs Konsthall (Stockholm), National Museum of Modern Art (Zagreb), The Art Rooms, ARUCAD  (Kyrenia) and CVAR Centre of Visual Arts and Research (Nicosia); Cyprus, and The Reykjanes Art Museum (Reykjavik).
Access the book online

The Mirror project was executed in collaboration with The Atlas (of Creative Mechanisms): [Curating–Conducting], a PEEK project awarded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and hosted by the Institute of Art Sciences and Art Education at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. 
Atlas Website