Retracing more than sixty years of history and culture, MAMbo is dedicating the first major institutional retrospective to John Giorno, a poet and performer with a magnetic stage presence, who transformed the word into an experience and a form of art.
A poet and magnetic performer, John Giorno (New York, 1936 – New York, 2019) transformed the word into a form of art.
From 5 February to 3 May 2026, the MAMbo – Museum of Modern Art of Bologna, part of the Musei Civici Sector of the Municipality of Bologna, presents John Giorno: The Performative Word, curated by Lorenzo Balbi. This first major institutional retrospective, hosted in the Sala delle Ciminiere, celebrates one of the most radical and visionary figures in contemporary culture.
The exhibition is part of the institutional programme of ART CITY Bologna 2026, a calendar of exhibitions and events promoted by the Municipality of Bologna with the support of BolognaFiere on the occasion of Arte Fiera.
A key figure of the New York avant-garde, poet, artist, and activist, John Giorno broke down disciplinary boundaries, turning poetry into a living body and a gesture capable of inhabiting unexpected spaces. His friendships and collaborations with some of the most significant figures of the time — including Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, William Burroughs, John Cage, and Patti Smith — and the founding in 1965 of Giorno Poetry Systems — the non-profit platform that revolutionised the dissemination of poetry by intertwining it with music, visual arts, political engagement, and community practices — testify to the profound impact Giorno had on the history of art.
The exhibition traces John Giorno’s multifaceted practice through a series of thematic sections, showing how the artist explored the poetic language in its material, relational, and performative dimensions, pushing the word beyond literature into the realms of visual art and telecommunications networks. A large part of his artistic production reuses excerpts from his poems, replicated across different media, employing carefully selected colours and an iconic typeface.
The exhibition is organised in collaboration with Giorno Poetry Systems and with the support of Galleria Thomas Brambilla.
John Giorno: The Performative Word
February 5 - May 3, 2026
Opening: Wednesday February 4, 2026 at 6:00 PM
MAMbo - Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna | Sala delle Ciminiere
Via Don Giovanni Minzoni 14, Bologna