Throughout 2026, the Cittadellarte Journal is hosting a series of interviews with the Foundation’s collaborators, invited to answer an identical set of questions. Cittadellarte in the Mirror -the name of the column- serves as an exercise in listening and self-reflection that spans different roles, practices, and sensibilities, providing a plural portrait of the Cittadellarte organism. The questions touch upon some of the most urgent nodes of our time -from social transformation to responsibility, from education to indifference, from the risk of artistic action to the possibility of reactivating empathy- and function like a mirror: they do not seek definitive answers, but ask the respondents to take a stand, to expose themselves, and to interrogate their own role in the present.

In this fifteenth instalment, the mirror turns to Nazarena Capellaro, responsible for the development of the Terme Culturali project at Cittadellarte, where for two years she has contributed to leading and growing an innovative format that combines art, relationship, and transformATION. Her work focuses on building experiences for companies and groups, where artistic practice becomes a tool for awareness and cohesion. She works in close collaboration with Armona Pistoletto, with whom she shares the vision, method, and development of the project, within a professional dialogue that represents a central element of her journey at the Foundation. With a background in communication and management and a professional path spanning Europe and Australia, Nazarena has gained transversal skills in managing complex projects, client relations, and concept development. After experiences in the world of institutional communication (Fiera Milano Spa and the IEG group) and events, she chose to orient her career towards projects capable of generating cultural value. Within Terme Culturali, Nazarena helps develop a contemporary model of team building, based on the idea that art is not entertainment but a transformative practice, capable of activating new modes of thought, relationship, and well-being. In parallel, she cultivates ceramics as a personal passion -a space for free expression and material research. As a mother and wife, she also brings a relational sensitivity to the professional dimension, reflected in the care for people, processes, and the experiences she develops.
In the dialogue that follows, Nazarena weaves her professional journey with a vision of art as an experience capable of activating awareness, relationship, and change. Her answers highlight the importance of small daily transformations, the central role of education, and the need to preserve a human space within increasingly accelerated and complex scenarios.

2025 closes as a year in which the word “transition” seems to have lost its force, replaced by a widespread sense of fatigue and a return to the logics of power, war, and closure. In this context, does it still make sense to talk about responsible social transformation, or is it necessary to change the lexicon and rethink practices?
I believe that today it makes even more sense to talk about responsible social transformation, perhaps precisely because everything seems to be going in the opposite direction. I think it is important in these moments not to abandon certain words. In fact, the problem is not the word “transformation,” but when it remains only a word. If, instead, it becomes a practice, then it regains its strength. Perhaps we need to stop expecting large, immediate changes and work on small transformations, on relationships, and on the contexts where we can truly make a difference. I, for one, have a lot to work on in this regard.

This year, too, Cittadellarte has operated on both a local and global level: from China to the borders of Europe, from the Mediterranean to East Asia. Bringing an installation or a “demopractic” work to places steeped in history, conflict, or symbolism exposes art to unpredictable interpretations. How important is it for the Foundation to accept this risk?
I believe the meaning of art, especially contemporary art, is precisely about exposing oneself. When you bring a work into complex contexts full of history, tension, or even conflict, you know you cannot control everything. And in my opinion, that is how it should be. If art were always predictable, it would lose its power. Accepting the risk is perhaps part of the work itself?

In 2026, what does it mean to educate for responsibility in a world where algorithms, artificial intelligence, and automation seem to subtract more and more space from conscious human action and, in this sense, from authorship?
In 2026, I think the keyword is indeed “educate,” but in a broad sense. Not just at school, not just for children, but for everyone. Educating in emotions, in respect, in the ability to exist within relationships. We are surrounded by incredibly powerful tools -algorithms, AI- and the risk is losing contact with what makes us human. This is why I believe education must return to the centre. Learning to listen, to manage one’s emotions, to choose, and to take responsibility for oneself.

In the time spent at Cittadellarte, what do you feel you have unlearned? Is there a conviction you would let go of today compared to the past?
I have only been at Cittadellarte for a couple of years; I feel that this has been, and is, the period where I have felt best professionally. I have unlearned the idea that work must necessarily be a constant tension. Here I found a different dimension, more human... I feel so well! We work hard, but with a great deal of serenity.

Let’s try to consider Cittadellarte as a living organism. Which part do you feel is most fragile today? And which is more mature than you would have imagined?
If I think of Cittadellarte as an organism, I would say the arms are the most fragile part, but also the most mature. Fragile because there is always this desire to reach everywhere, to reach even difficult contexts; this happens above all thanks to colleagues who are always so full of good, very good intentions. But at the same time, those arms have strengthened over the years. They have learned to move better, to find ways to truly arrive, not just ideally. And this happens thanks to the management, which is increasingly attentive and structured.

We live in a time where we are exposed daily to images of extreme pain, yet we often remain immobile. What kind of emotion is indifference? If the latter were a work of art, would you destroy it like a breaking of Pistoletto’s mirror?
Indifference is probably what scares me the most. When we stop giving value to things, everything loses meaning. If it were a work of art, yes, I would destroy it. And if destroying it weren’t possible, then I would try to prevent it from growing, especially in younger people. I have a daughter, and I think about it often: I would want her to grow up capable of feeling, even when it isn’t so straightforward to do so. It is normal to go through emotionally unstable phases, especially as a teenager, but it is important not to stay stuck in them. Empathy must be cultivated!

In the dominant media narrative of conflicts, numbers often replace faces. What responsibility does art have in restoring humanity where political language erases it? Can art reactivate empathy without falling into the spectacularisation of pain? Let’s also keep in mind that the 2025 word of the year, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is “Rage Bait,” indicating content created to provoke anger and indignation, particularly on social media.
Today, we are used to seeing numbers, data, and images scrolling quickly, but we often lose contact with the real people behind those numbers. Art can slow down this process; it can create a space in which to stop and truly look.

When you turn off the lights in your office, what emotion remains lit?
When I turn off the lights in my office, what remains lit is the desire. The desire to return the next day, to continue building, to keep trying. This isn't something to take for granted, and it’s perhaps one of the things I appreciate most. There is also the fact that I am not alone: I share this journey with many colleagues, in particular with one person with whom a special relationship has been created.