The video work Unsettling Genealogies (2024) by Alessandra Ferrini (Florence, 1984) offers a critical investigation into the legacies of colonialism and fascism, anticipating her contribution to the third Journal, The Shape of Italy.

Unsettling Genealogies stems from Alessandra Ferrini’s long-term research into the history of Italian cultural institutions. The work intertwines family stories and historical narratives, prompting careful reflection on colonial history, social classes, European imperialism and the legacy of fascism. In particular, the artist examines the cultural policy of Italian fascism and its long-standing investment in the arts, highlighting the relationship between aesthetics, ideology and propaganda.

Through personal and historical archives, Ferrini brings out individual micro-stories alongside forgotten or repressed historical narratives, staging a tension between the public and domestic spheres. To emphasise this relationship between individual and collective memory, the video Unsettling Genealogies was shot inside an installation consisting of two rooms inspired by archival photographs of the inauguration of the Venice Film Festival: one evokes a domestic space, while the other features large reproductions of archival images of institutional spaces.

Alessandra Ferrini is an Italian-born, UK-based artist, researcher, and educator. Her work investigates the enduring legacies of Italian colonialism and Fascism, with a specific interest in the past and present network of relations between Italy, the Mediterranean region, and the African continent. Her practice spans across moving images, installation, and performance-lecture, as well as writing, publishing, and education. Her work has featured in group shows and international film programmes. She was awarded the Maxxi Bvlgari Prize 2022 and in 2024 she participated to the 60^th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.