Image: Castello di Rivoli
Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea will open ‘Il Castello Incantato / The Enchanted Castle’ on 2 September 2026, presenting an exhibition and educational project developed with young people as active participants in the museum’s engagement with contemporary art. The project will occupy the third floor of the historic Castle Building in Rivoli, near Turin, and has no announced closing date.
The 2026 edition brings together works by John Baldessari, William Kentridge, Otobong Nkanga and Paola Pivi—artists whose practices have contributed to the history of the museum’s collection and exhibition programme. The project also includes special contributions by Peter Friedl and Rivane Neuenschwander. Its curatorial collaboration involves Marcella Beccaria, Francesco Manacorda and Paola Zanini.
Rather than treating younger visitors solely as an audience, ‘The Enchanted Castle’ involves “non-adulti” in the process of approaching contemporary art. The museum describes the project as a space inspired by the idea of the agora, the public square of ancient Greek cities, and as a place for encounter, experience, inclusion and civic learning. The initiative is aligned with the work of Castello di Rivoli’s Education Department, which runs programmes including family activities, the School of Curiosity, training, accessibility projects and national and international collaborations.
Friedl is presenting ‘No prey, no pay’ (2018–19), a large installation inspired by pirates and their forgotten stories. The work was commissioned by the Sharjah Art Foundation and is shown at Castello di Rivoli courtesy of the artist and Guido Costa Projects, Turin. Neuenschwander’s ‘dream.lab’ takes its starting point from the creatures and monsters that inhabit children’s dreams. For the new version produced by the museum, the artist drew in part on works made by children from the surrounding area during workshops organised by the Education Department.
The project will be presented alongside a dedicated tribute to Remo Salvadori, developed in collaboration with the Archivio Remo Salvadori. One room on the third floor will include ‘La stanza delle tazze’ (1985–86), a work from the museum’s collection focused on colour and form and inspired by the anthroposophical principles of Rudolf Steiner, together with works lent by the artist’s archive. The museum said the room was developed in dialogue with Salvadori and later completed with the archive following his death during the preparation of the project.
‘The Enchanted Castle’ forms part of Castello di Rivoli’s wider 2026 programme, which also includes the multi-phase reinstallation of its permanent collection around Arte Povera and other major figures in Italian art. The museum’s September programme lists the project as beginning on 2 September, with further exhibitions scheduled later in the month. ‘The Enchanted Castle’ will be shown in the Edificio Castello at Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea.
