Italia Media Art Festival expands across Italy and Venezuela in 2026

The third edition of the Italia Media Art Festival will move from Rome to Maker Faire Rome, Caracas and Zagarolo between Oct. 22 and Nov. 22, showcasing video art, installations and performances tied to digital innovation. The festival says the program reflects rising international interest in media art and a broader push to link creativity, technology and cultural exchange.

Why it matters: - The festival is using digital art and emerging technologies to connect audiences in Italy and Venezuela through a single international program. - The 2026 edition expands IMAF’s reach with exhibitions, screenings and performances in multiple cities over a monthlong run. - The festival positions media art as both a cultural showcase and a platform for discussion about technology, human creativity and the future.

What happened: - The third edition of the Italia Media Art Festival opens its official Italian premiere on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 3 p.m. at the Conference Hall of Università degli Studi di Roma UnitelmaSapienza in Rome. - The program continues at Maker Faire Rome from Oct. 23–25, moves to a special screening at the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas on Oct. 30, and concludes with a Grand International Exhibition at Palazzo Rospigliosi in Zagarolo from Nov. 20–22. - The Rome premiere will present 17 video artworks, including 13 selected through an international Open Call supported by Enel and four works by invited artists. - The presentation will also introduce 11 video installation projects and announce the artistic performances selected for the Zagarolo exhibition.

The details: - The official presentation will feature Alessandro Zehentner, Chairman of Snam; Maria Chiara Iannarelli, Regional Councillor of Lazio; Massimiliano Padovan Di Benedetto, President of Associazione Kou and promoter of Rome Art Week; and Marinellys Tremamunno, founder and artistic director of IMAF. - Roberto Sciarrone, Head of Communications at UnitelmaSapienza, will moderate the Rome event. - Artists Anastasia Pavlova, Ivan Andre, Claudio Marani, Victoria Thomen, Mariia Plekhova and Joseph Ayerle are scheduled to attend and discuss their creative process. - The Rome presentation will be livestreamed on UnitelmaSapienza’s official YouTube channel: Watch the livestream - The Venezuelan premiere took place Oct. 20 in Maracaibo at the Centro de Bellas Artes – Ateneo de Maracaibo. - The Caracas screening is scheduled for Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. at Espacio Americano Grace Hopper, located at UCAB. - IMAF was founded in 2024 and is promoted by Associazione Piccola Venezia APS. - The festival describes itself as an international platform for artistic creation through emerging technologies and for dialogue between artists, audiences, institutions and the innovation sector. - The 2026 curatorial theme is “The Energy That Transforms: Human and Spiritual Strength Becoming Action for the Future.” - The festival received 144 international submissions this year, the highest number since its founding. - Enel sponsors the Video Art & Performance Open Call, and Snam sponsors the Video Installations Open Call. - Rome Art Week, Maker Faire Rome and UnitelmaSapienza are among the festival’s collaborators.

Between the lines: - The Italy-Venezuela itinerary suggests IMAF is building a cross-border identity rather than limiting itself to a local arts festival. - The emphasis on AI, virtual reality, interactive installation and audiovisual experimentation shows the festival wants to frame digital tools as artistic mediums, not just technical effects. - The partnership with Lazio Innova and Palazzo Rospigliosi gives the final exhibition a more institutional setting, which may help media art gain broader legitimacy. - Tremamunno said the festival’s theme starts from human questions about memory, relationships, responsibility and the world being built around emerging technologies.

What’s next: - The festival will participate in Maker Faire Rome from Oct. 23–25 at the Gazometro Ostiense, Stand E0. - The Grand International Exhibition opens Friday, Nov. 20, at 5 p.m. at Palazzo Rospigliosi in Zagarolo. - Visitors can enter the Zagarolo exhibition free on Nov. 21 and 22 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with last admission at 6 p.m. - IMAF says the concluding exhibition will combine selected video artworks, video installations, live performances and works by invited artists, including Mariia Plekhova. - The festival plans to keep expanding its international network through partnerships with Lazio Innova, the Palazzo Rospigliosi Institution and other collaborators.

The bottom line: - IMAF 2026 is turning a media art festival into a multi-country circuit built around digital creativity, institutional partnerships and a bigger international audience.