Valentino Catricalà

Valentino Catricalà is a scholar and contemporary art curator specializing in the relationship between artists and new technologies and media. He serves as a Lecturer in Curating at Manchester Metropolitan University's School of Digital Arts (SODA) and is the curator of the SODA gallery (Modal) in Manchester. His professional affiliations include director of the Art Section of the Maker Faire – The European Edition (the largest creativity and innovation event in Europe) and Art Consultant at Paris Sony CS Lab.

Dr. Catricalà received his PhD from Roma Tre University and has been a visiting lecturer at prestigious institutions including ZKM (Karlsruhe), Tate Modern (London), University of Dundee, and LIMA (Amsterdam). His early career included founding and serving as artistic director of the Rome Media Art Festival at MAXXI Museum in Rome, promoted by Fondazione Mondo Digitale.

His research focuses on media art, contemporary art practices involving emerging technologies, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and the historical relationship between art and technology. Catricalà examines how technological developments reshape artistic practices and human perception, with particular attention to the critical perspectives artists bring to technological innovation. His work often explores themes of posthumanism, media archaeology, and the ethical dimensions of digital culture.

His recent publications reveal a clear trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated examinations of AI and VR in artistic contexts. The 2022 article 'HyperInterfaces - HyperMedia' represents his most current thinking on AI beyond anthropocentrism, while his 2021 book 'The Artist as Inventor' reframes artists as active participants in technological innovation rather than passive recipients. His work consistently bridges historical perspectives with cutting-edge technological developments.

• Member of the advisory board of the Media Art History Conference

As an independent curator, Catricalà has worked with major institutions including the Hermitage (St. Petersburg), Minnesota Street Project (San Francisco), New York Media Center, Fondazione Stelline (Milan), MAXXI Museum (Rome), Palazzo delle Esposizioni (Rome), Ca' Foscari (Venice), and international venues in India and Romania. His curatorial practice is deeply integrated with his academic research, creating a feedback loop between theoretical investigation and practical artistic engagement.