Monsoni – Festival of Performance, Art and Dissident Practices from Asia

A new festival bringing dissident Asia to Rome

Monsoni is a festival dedicated to performance, visual arts, and dissident practices from the Asian continent. Conceived and promoted by ADD Editore, the project was created to offer Rome a space for engagement with the independent artistic scenes of contemporary Asia, often far from mainstream circuits and bearers of critical perspectives on the continent's social, political, and cultural transformations.

Performance, art, and dissident practices

The festival operates on a deliberately multidisciplinary terrain: theatre, contemporary dance, performance, visual arts, installations, and moments of cultural reflection intertwine around the idea of 'dissidence,' understood as art's capacity to challenge dominant narratives and stereotypes about the East. Asian cultures are presented not as exotic objects, but as a living laboratory of languages, bodies, and imaginaries that engage with the Roman public.

In the heart of Municipality V, between Prenestino and Centocelle

Monsoni is rooted in Rome's Municipality V, in the Prenestino and Centocelle districts—an area of the city historically characterized by independent cultural experiences and a strong associative fabric. The choice of this territory, far from the monumental centre, reflects the desire to bring cultural offerings into the neighbourhoods and involve a broad and diverse community.

A project supported by Roma Capitale

Monsoni is among the projects selected by the public call 'Roma Creativa 365 – Culture all year round', promoted by Roma Capitale and managed by Zètema Progetto Cultura to support widespread cultural programming in the city and the Lazio region. The call aims to overcome the seasonality of events and ensure quality initiatives throughout the year, even in the capital's more peripheral districts.

The programme

The detailed programme for this edition, including the schedule of events, guest artists, locations, and times, will be announced by the organisers closer to the event. The festival includes live performances, meetings, screenings, and moments of discussion open to the public. For updates, we recommend following the channels of ADD Editore and the cultural portals of the Municipality of Rome.