A remarkable cultural space in Rome is rewriting the relationship between antiquity and contemporary art.Amid the majestic setting of Trajan’s Forum in the ancient heart of Rome sits FOROF, a venue whose mission is to promote contemporary art in dialogue with the history of its unique space.FOROF is built around a specific archaeological site rather than a conventional gallery collection, and its ambition from the outset has been as much about stewardship as exhibition-making. It was founded in 2022 by Giovanna Caruso Fendi, a member of the Rome fashion dynasty and a long-standing figure in Italian cultural philanthropy. "FOROF was born from the need not only to protect, preserve and continue the path of enhancing the artistic and cultural heritage of the place where it comes to life” - Caruso Fendi states - “but also from a sense of responsibility to make contemporary art a tool capable of conveying content that stimulates reflection and 'opens the mind'." In terms of its identity and role, FOROF makes clear that it is "not a foundation, not an art gallery, and not a museum". What exactly is it then? The institution is constituted as a Società Benefit - a formal legal designation in Italian company law, broadly comparable to a benefit corporation, which requires the business to pursue defined positive social impact alongside its economic activity. Revenues generated through the space are reinvested into its artistic programme. Dream location FOROF occupies Palazzo del Gallo di Roccagiovine, a 19th-century building that once housed a printing press, with an eye-catching address: Foro Traiano 1. The palazzo gives directly onto the Forum of Trajan, built in the second century AD as a centre of political, judicial, commercial and civic life during the Roman Imperial period. The building’s underground rooms - in agreement with the archaeological superintendence of Rome - preserve what is described as the largest surviving marble floor area of the entire Trajan complex: the eastern apse of the Basilica Ulpia, together with its largely intact original marble floors. The location of FOROF in relation to the Basilica Ulpia   Excavation and restoration works in the building’s underground area began in 2001, financed by the Fondazione Alda Fendi Esperimenti (the arts foundation established by Caruso Fendi’s mother Alda Fendi), under the scientific direction of the archaeological superintendence of Rome. The excavations lasted around 15 years and confirmed the presence of three types of coloured marble – giallo antico, pavonazzetto and verde africano – preserved over the centuries by water. The discovery of these original floors, along with column bases, allowed scholars to establish the precise orientation of the Basilica Ulpia within the Forum of Trajan. Rome architectural firm It’s was behind the design of the series of FOROF's interlinking rooms and the reimagining of the underground archaeological space. FOROF celebrates the building's tangible sense of historical stratification by emphasising the overlapping layers of archaeological, geological, and human time. Basilica Ulpia Designed by the architect Apollodorus of Damascus at the behest of Emperor Trajan between 106 and 113 AD, the Basilica Ulpia was the largest basilica built in ancient Rome. It formed the centrepiece of the Forum of Trajan and served as a monumental centre of commercial and judicial activity. The Basilica Ulpia collapsed in the mediaeval era, its ruins pillaged for construction material, before being excavated in the early 19th century and 1930s. In recent years, the archaeological site directly in front of FOROF underwent ambitious restoration works using anastylosis – a process which incorporates the original architectural elements to the greatest degree possible – with an architrave topped by a second tier of three columns in green cipollino marble added to the ruins. Manumission ceremony One of the Basilica's original functions carries particular resonance for a space now dedicated to contemporary art. Into one of its apses were transferred the functions previously held in the Atrium Libertatis – the building where the manumissio ceremony took place. Manumission, or enfranchisement, was the legal process by which slaves in Rome obtained their freedom, and with it citizenship and its associated civil and political rights. In a symbolic reference to the manumission ceremony that once took place downstairs, each step leading to the ground floor of FOROF carries the word for "freedom" in multiple different languages. Seasons FOROF's artistic programme is organised around annual Seasons, each built around a single exhibition or commission by one mid-career contemporary artist working in dialogue with a curator. The model prioritises sustained engagement over broad programming: each Season asks one artist to spend time with the complex and demanding space and to respond to the challenge fully. FOROF founder Giovanna Caruso Fendi    The curatorial approach encourages experimentation and reflects Caruso Fendi's stated conviction that "art can create a bridge between the depth of the past and the potential of the present, leading to a greater awareness of our contemporary." The curatorial team is selected with that aim in mind.Each Season is accompanied by a series of public events - performances, concerts and readings - conceived as part of the artistic programme. FOROF also encompasses a hospitality offer - with catering in partnership with renowned Rome food emporium Rimessa Roscioli - including private tours and curated events.One further, unusual element of FOROF's programme is FOROF Essenza, a bespoke fragrance commissioned from Laura Bosetti Tonatto, a noted Italian perfumer. Tasked with translating the history of the Basilica Ulpia into olfactory form – with particular reference to the manumission ceremony and its theme of freedom – Tonatto produced a scent with notes of rose, amber, saffron and incense, which has become a permanent element of the FOROF experience. Alicja Kwade Now in its fifth Season, FOROF has invited Berlin-based Polish artist Alicja Kwade to create a site-specific exhibition curated by Valentino Catricalà. INFRASUPRA, which opened last October and runs until 29 July, is the artist's first large-scale installation in a non-conventional art space.Kwade's practice centres on perception, matter and time, pursued through sculpture, installation and site-specific work. She is currently resident at the German Academy Villa Massimo in Rome, having been selected as one of the 2025/2026 Rome Prize winners.The title INFRASUPRA, a Latin-inspired reference to signify “upside down”, describes the exhibition's central proposition: the experience of standing simultaneously beneath and above a history, in which the works are conceived as what the curatorial statement calls "new relics or artifacts of a parallel future".The exhibition unfolds across FOROF's ground floor, its underground rooms, and the archaeological area of the Basilica Ulpia. Sfera by Alicja Kwade at FOROF  The visitor itinerary begins at street level with Uranus and Jupiter, two seat-sculptures placed at the entrance. In the underground rooms, Ghost - a bronze sculpture made from a 3D scan of the artist - functions as an ironic self-portrait. Other works include the monumental Sfera, a huge marble sphere installed in the archaeological area, and the hypnotic, swinging Heavy Light.INFRASUPRA is accompanied by a cycle of five Episodes featuring live work by invited artists. The sound artist and performer Simone Pappalardo has contributed to the series, as has the Albanian poet and vocalist Jonida Prifti.The music label Grzegorzki Records - a project involving Kwade and artist Gregor Hildebrand - has also featured in the programme, alongside the rock duo PAAR. Broader context FOROF is not the first cultural institution in Rome to place contemporary art in proximity to ancient ruins. What distinguishes its approach is the degree to which the archaeological site is central to the work, rather than incidental to it.The single-artist Season model, the Società Benefit structure, and the curatorial focus on works that respond specifically to the space and its history point to an institution with a clear aim.The preservation of the Basilica Ulpia's floor and the funding of excavations represent a significant investment in a site that might otherwise have remained inaccessible.By building a contemporary art programme around the site, FOROF has created something that is at once a dynamic art experience, an archaeological resource, and a living cultural space.By Andy DevaneFOROF is located at Foro Traiano 1. The current exhibition, INFRASUPRA by Alicja Kwade, runs until 29 July 2026. For full details see FOROF website. Photographs courtesy of FOROF.

Amid the majestic setting of Trajan’s Forum in the ancient heart of Rome sits FOROF, a venue whose mission is to promote contemporary art in dialogue with the history of its unique space. FOROF is built around a specific archaeological site rather than a conventional gallery collection, and its ambition from the outset has been as much about stewardship as exhibition-making. It was founded in 2022 by Giovanna Caruso Fendi, a member of the Rome fashion dynasty and a long-standing figure in Italian cultural philanthropy. "FOROF was born from the need not only to protect, preserve and continue the path of enhancing the artistic and cultural heritage of the place where it comes to life” - Caruso Fendi states - “but also from a sense of responsibility to make contemporary art a tool capable of conveying content that stimulates reflection and 'opens the mind'." In terms of its identity and role, FOROF makes clear that it is "not a foundation, not an art gallery, and not a museum". What exactly is it then? The institution is constituted as a Società Benefit - a formal legal designation in Italian company law, broadly comparable to a benefit corporation, which requires the business to pursue defined positive social impact alongside its economic activity. Revenues generated through the space are reinvested into its artistic programme. FOROF occupies Palazzo del Gallo di Roccagiovine, a 19th-century building that once housed a printing press, with an eye-catching address: Foro Traiano 1. The palazzo gives directly onto the Forum of Trajan, built in the second century AD as a centre of political, judicial, commercial and civic life during the Roman Imperial period. The building’s underground rooms - in agreement with the archaeological superintendence of Rome - preserve what is described as the largest surviving marble floor area of the entire Trajan complex: the eastern apse of the Basilica Ulpia, together with its largely intact original marble floors.
The location of FOROF in relation to the Basilica Ulpia   Excavation and restoration works in the building’s underground area began in 2001, financed by the  (the arts foundation established by Caruso Fendi’s mother Alda Fendi), under the scientific direction of the archaeological superintendence of Rome. The excavations lasted around 15 years and confirmed the presence of three types of coloured marble – giallo antico, pavonazzetto and verde africano – preserved over the centuries by water. The discovery of these original floors, along with column bases, allowed scholars to establish the precise orientation of the Basilica Ulpia within the Forum of Trajan. Rome architectural firm It’s was behind the design of the series of FOROF's interlinking rooms and the reimagining of the underground archaeological space. FOROF celebrates the building's tangible sense of historical stratification by emphasising the overlapping layers of archaeological, geological, and human time. Designed by the architect Apollodorus of Damascus at the behest of Emperor Trajan between 106 and 113 AD, the Basilica Ulpia was the largest basilica built in ancient Rome. It formed the centrepiece of the Forum of Trajan and served as a monumental centre of commercial and judicial activity. The Basilica Ulpia collapsed in the mediaeval era, its ruins pillaged for construction material, before being excavated in the early 19th century and 1930s. In recent years, the archaeological site directly in front of FOROF  – a process which incorporates the original architectural elements to the greatest degree possible – with an architrave topped by a second tier of three columns in green cipollino marble added to the ruins. One of the Basilica's original functions carries particular resonance for a space now dedicated to contemporary art. Into one of its apses were transferred the functions previously held in the Atrium Libertatis – the building where the manumissio ceremony took place. Manumission, or enfranchisement, was the legal process by which slaves in Rome obtained their freedom, and with it citizenship and its associated civil and political rights. In a symbolic reference to the manumission ceremony that once took place downstairs, each step leading to the ground floor of FOROF carries the word for "freedom" in multiple different languages. FOROF's artistic programme is organised around annual Seasons, each built around a single exhibition or commission by one mid-career contemporary artist working in dialogue with a curator. The model prioritises sustained engagement over broad programming: each Season asks one artist to spend time with the complex and demanding space and to respond to the challenge fully.
FOROF founder Giovanna Caruso Fendi    

The curatorial approach encourages experimentation and reflects Caruso Fendi's stated conviction that "art can create a bridge between the depth of the past and the potential of the present, leading to a greater awareness of our contemporary." The curatorial team is selected with that aim in mind.

Each Season is accompanied by a series of public events - performances, concerts and readings - conceived as part of the artistic programme. FOROF also encompasses a hospitality offer - with catering in partnership with renowned Rome food emporium Rimessa Roscioli - including private tours and curated events.

One further, unusual element of FOROF's programme is FOROF Essenza, a bespoke fragrance commissioned from Laura Bosetti Tonatto, a noted Italian perfumer. Tasked with translating the history of the Basilica Ulpia into olfactory form – with particular reference to the manumission ceremony and its theme of freedom – Tonatto produced a scent with notes of rose, amber, saffron and incense, which has become a permanent element of the FOROF experience. Now in its fifth Season, FOROF has invited Berlin-based Polish artist Alicja Kwade to create a site-specific exhibition curated by Valentino Catricalà. INFRASUPRA, which opened last October and runs until 29 July, is the artist's first large-scale installation in a non-conventional art space.

Kwade's practice centres on perception, matter and time, pursued through sculpture, installation and site-specific work. She is currently resident at the German Academy Villa Massimo in Rome, having been selected as one of the 2025/2026 Rome Prize winners.

The title INFRASUPRA, a Latin-inspired reference to signify “upside down”, describes the exhibition's central proposition: the experience of standing simultaneously beneath and above a history, in which the works are conceived as what the curatorial statement calls "new relics or artifacts of a parallel future".

The exhibition unfolds across FOROF's ground floor, its underground rooms, and the archaeological area of the Basilica Ulpia.
Sfera by Alicja Kwade at FOROF  

The visitor itinerary begins at street level with Uranus and Jupiter, two seat-sculptures placed at the entrance. In the underground rooms, Ghost - a bronze sculpture made from a 3D scan of the artist - functions as an ironic self-portrait. Other works include the monumental Sfera, a huge marble sphere installed in the archaeological area, and the hypnotic, swinging Heavy Light.

INFRASUPRA is accompanied by a cycle of five Episodes featuring live work by invited artists. The sound artist and performer Simone Pappalardo has contributed to the series, as has the Albanian poet and vocalist Jonida Prifti.

The music label Grzegorzki Records - a project involving Kwade and artist Gregor Hildebrand - has also featured in the programme, alongside the rock duo PAAR. FOROF is not the first cultural institution in Rome to place contemporary art in proximity to ancient ruins. What distinguishes its approach is the degree to which the archaeological site is central to the work, rather than incidental to it.

The single-artist Season model, the Società Benefit structure, and the curatorial focus on works that respond specifically to the space and its history point to an institution with a clear aim.

The preservation of the Basilica Ulpia's floor and the funding of excavations represent a significant investment in a site that might otherwise have remained inaccessible.

By building a contemporary art programme around the site, FOROF has created something that is at once a dynamic art experience, an archaeological resource, and a living cultural space.

By Andy Devane

FOROF is located at Foro Traiano 1. The current exhibition, INFRASUPRA by Alicja Kwade, runs until 29 July 2026. For full details see . Photographs courtesy of FOROF.