Sublime Cliché marks the third edition of the Festival of Foreign Academies and Cultural Institutes in Rome, on view at MACRO and curated by Saverio Verini. Organized by Azienda Speciale Palaexpo with support from Roma Capitale’s Department of Culture, the exhibition celebrates the creative ferment sparked by the city’s international residency programs.

Each year, Rome becomes a living studio for artists, writers, composers, architects, designers, and scholars from around the world—many of them guests of institutions like the American Academy in Rome. Their work forms a vibrant cultural mosaic, responding to the city’s layered history, its grand monuments and overlooked corners alike. Sublime Cliché draws from this dynamic exchange, presenting works by current and former fellows and residents whose time in Rome continues to echo in their practice.

The exhibition brings together installations, photography, sculpture, video, and traditional materials such as mosaic and travertine, offering an unexpected, sometimes dreamlike portrait of the Eternal City. Artists include Matthew Connors (2025 Fellow), Terry Adkins (2010 Fellow), Iván Argote, Jenny Holzer (2004 Resident), Julian Rosefeldt, and Giovanna Silva (2020 Italian Fellow), whose newly commissioned photographs document the architecture of the foreign academies themselves—bringing these often-hidden sites into the heart of the museum.

Designed by the architecture studio Supervoid, the installation underscores the show’s urban dimension. On Saturday, June 7, MACRO will host a lively, daylong festival of performances, concerts, talks, and workshops, extending the exhibition into a shared, multidisciplinary experience. A richly illustrated catalogue with texts by Edoardo Albinati and Michele Di Monte offers deeper insight into the project.