A techno-focused exhibit has begun in the Museion gallery in Bolzano, Italy. TECHNO opened its doors on September 10th and will run until March 2022.

The exhibition is the first installment of the TECHNO HUMANITIES series and is curated by Museion director Bart van Heide. The project was made possible with support from Pro Helvetia Schweizer Kulturstiftung.

Apart from the exhibition, the program includes the release of the Techno Reader, a book filled with “commissioned critical texts on techno and globalization.” There will also be an accompanying audio piece by Florian Fischer and a podcast by Francesco Tenaglia.

After a day rave kickoff at a disused power station on September 10th, the topic of techno is explored through three themes: freedom, compression, and exhaustion. To explore the impact of the techno phenomenon, Museion has invited an international roster of creatives.

A statement by Bart van Heide reads, “When it comes to subculture, commitment is key. There was no such thing as a part-time punk. Yet, in the case of techno subculture, one can enter and leave at any moment. Mediated by new technologies, techno music became the soundtrack of liberation and escape.”

“The compressed sonic architecture of the techno club forged meaningful bonds with its community, through collective and interconnected experiences of joy, exhaustion, and calculated release,” it continues. “In a way, the techno experience has flawlessly adapted to the demands of the freelance workforce of a post-industrial era.”

Museion was founded in 1985 and was formerly called the Museum of Modern Art. As stated by the museum’s foundation, its sole purpose is to promote and appreciate contemporary art created after 1950. It acts as a meeting point for international art and its creatorsin addition to to supporting the art of Italy’s South Tyrol province.

Find more information regarding the TECHNO exhibition on the Museion website.