MAXXI Opening

With advertisements all over Rome saying "We are Open," the brand new modern museum, MAXXI (Modern Art of the 21st Century), had it's grand opening on May 30th. The building design, by Zaha Hadid, has integrating curved and linear levels with complex shifting scales. At the entrance of the museum you are greeted with a giant sculpture by the Italian artist Gino de Dominicis. There was an entire gallery on the top most level devoted to his drawings of portraits, each one containing that very same cone-shaped nose. (I'm still trying to understand this fascination with this distinct honker. I looked up a picture of what the artist's nose looks like. I was expecting it to be GINORMOUS but it's actually not that big.)The architecture wing of the museum was definitely the most interesting, showing designs, photographs, models, and paintings of Italian architecture, all the while comparing it against other recent trends in different areas of the world. Spazio. Space is the theme of MAXXI, more so than the art found within. "The museum is a staging of architectural space, it is an element of the collective imagination within the urban context, a machine for communicating." And that is exactly what the building reminds you of- being in a machine.The art in MAXXI was more -how shall I put this- "experimental" than the other museums. Let me explain with some examples:
This video projection of two skinheads making out in the Trevi Fountain.
Or Kutlug Ataman's video of him wandering blind folded and barefoot through a dessert. Like all modern art, it just needs some good old interpretation. The video was supposed to reference the legend of Layla and Majnu,n as he plays the part of the hero "blinded by love."I was nearly shocked (and thankful) that on its first day open, there were no crowds! This could have been because it was specially open on a Monday when most museums are closed, and also because it lies a few metro stops outside of the city center. If you're interested in architecture-MAXXI is a must. Also a must: Having an OPEN mind!