Volpe Laila Slim e gli altri
Resistance at Twenty
curated by Stefania Carretti, Lorenzo Immovilli and Erika Profumieri with Massimo Storchi and Marco Cerri

The exhibition aims to explore the complex experience of young partisans during the Italian Resistance (1943-45), in the context of the eightieth anniversary of the Liberation. Through a series of themed sections, the exhibition illustrates the daily life, challenges, gender emancipation, ethical choices and environmental framework in which these young people operated, reflecting on the meaning of being twenty during a time of war. The stories of Volpe (Francesco Bertacchini, 1926-2024), Laila (Anita Malavasi, 1921-2011), Slim (Luciano Fornaciari, 1925-1944) and many other twenty-year-olds who, with their eloquent battle names, participated in the Resistance, offer a deeper and more personal understanding of what it means to rebel and fight for freedom, emphasising the multifaceted experiences, courage and resilience of those young partisans.
Alongside historical photographs from the Istoreco photo archive and original documents, diaries, letters and posters from the period, the exhibition will benefit from the contribution of five artists and photographers called upon to provide a contemporary visual interpretation of the values and themes revealed by the archive documents. With their diverse and personal works, ranging from analogue photography to collaboration with artificial intelligence, and involving young people themselves in the projects, Alessandro Bartoli, Marco Belletti, Lorenzo Falletti, Alessia Leporati and Andrea Sciascia bring a glimpse of what it means to resist today for Gen Z.