An exhibition in Bologna dedicated to Che Guevara, a man and revolutionary who profoundly influenced entire generations

From March 27 to June 30, 2025, the Museo Civico Archeologico di Bologna will host the exhibition CHE GUEVARA tú y todos, dedicated to the life and figure of Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, universally known as Che Guevara. A journey through the history and life of a man who left an indelible imprint on the collective imagination, transforming himself into auniversal icon of the revolutionary. Conceived and produced by SIMMETRICO Cultura, the exhibition is curated by Daniele Zambelli, Flavio Andreini, Camilo Guevara and Maria del Carmen Ariet Garcia, with an original soundtrack signed by Andrea Guerra. Produced by Alma and the Centro de Estudios Che Guevara, whose archives were recognized in 2013 as a “Memory of the World” heritage of interest by UNESCO, the initiative benefits from the collaboration of the University of Milan, IULM University, and the Settore Musei Civici | Museo Civico Archeologico di Bologna, under the patronage of the Municipality of Bologna. The exhibition project, dedicated to Camilo Guevara, Che’s son who passed away in 2022, was realized with the contribution and close collaboration of Che Guevara’s wife, Aleida March, and Camilo himself.

The exhibition will present a significant selection from the vast repertoire of photographs and unpublished documents from the archives of the Centro de Estudios Che Guevara in Havana. Through the use of digital and interactive tools, the public will have the opportunity to explore the most important moments in Che’s life, discovering the human dimension, emotional ties and ideals that guided him. Historical and geopolitical events that profoundly influenced entire generations between the 1950s and 1960s will also be analyzed and contextualized.

tú y todos

The title of the exhibition, tú y todos, recalls an intense and moving line from a poem Che Guevara wrote to his wife Aleida March before leaving for Bolivia, where he was captured and killed on October 9, 1967 after a long interrogation. This title is meant to express the main objective of the exhibition: to return an intimate and conscious vision of the figure of Ernesto Che Guevara, going beyond the myth of the reckless and intransigent guerrilla fighter constructed by the media of the time, both for and against depending on the political side he belonged to. The exhibition aims to tell the story of the man, the political figure and the historical context in which he lived, through more than 2,000 unpublished documents, including letters, notes, diaries, photographs taken by Che himself, official and private images, autograph writings and period videos. The exhibition aims to appeal to a diverse audience, with the goal of narrating the complexity and relevance of such an iconic figure as Che Guevara. In addition, the exhibition aims to actively engage the visitor, placing him or her at the center of the narrative journey and stimulating direct participation. Through an innovative approach to dissemination, the project aims to create an emotional bond with visitors, offering a space for reflection on issues that are still relevant today. The path will not be a simple observational experience, but an immersive and participatory journey in which the public will feel an integral part of the story.

Three narrative levels

The exhibition project will have three narrative levels, each using multimedia technologies to communicate in a direct and emotional way. The first level, with a journalistic slant, introduces visitors to the complex geopolitical framework of the time, which is essential for understanding the context in which Che Guevara lived and acted.

The second level focuses on the biographical dimension, presenting unpublished documents that trace the public and private moments of Ernesto Che Guevara’s life. Among the materials on display are his famous official speeches, reflections on education, foreign policy and economics, the meaning of revolution, and hope in the “New Man.” The third level dives into themore personal and human aspect of Guevara, thanks to personal writings such as diaries and letters addressed to family and friends. Unpublished recordings of poems Guevara composed for his wife Aleida stand out. This level reveals the deeper nuances of his character: doubts, contradictions, and reflections that defined him as the man behind the myth.

An immersive narrative

Upon entering, the visitor is invited to cross a “yellow line.” A back-projected moving band wall, initially covered with glossy images of 1950s consumer society-Hollywood glamour, fashion, and big brand advertisements-dissolves as the visitor approaches, revealing another reality: that of poverty, disease, social injustice, and lack of freedom. This passage simulates young Ernesto’s bewilderment at the suffering of the last and marginalized in his travels in Latin America before becoming “Che.”

Returning to Argentina, Ernesto notes, “The character who wrote these notes died when he returned to set his feet on the soil of Argentina, and the one who rearranges them cleans them up: ’I’, it is not me; at least it is not the same inner self. That aimless wandering through our ’Capital America’ changed me more than I thought.” (Ernesto Guevara in Notas de viaje. 1952).

Beyond this threshold, the visitor embarks on a journey through the life of Ernesto Guevara, who became “El Che.” Hundreds of thoughts, diaries and letters allow an in-depth exploration of one of the most complex and influential personalities of the 20th century. The narrative unfolds along a timeline enriched by historical images, films and recordings of speeches, from 1959 - Cuba’s “Year of Liberation” - to 1967, the year of the mission to Bolivia, his last adventure. Three installations, which meet along the way, then allow the public to meet not only the historical figure, but also the man, with his reflections and emotions.

The exhibition concludes with amultidimensional installation, created by American artist Michael Murphy, a pioneer of Perceptual Art. Che: portrait of Ernesto Guevara, this is the title of the work, is a three-dimensional reconstruction of Che’s famous portrait, capable of transforming into his equally iconic signature.

Statements

“After two years of work, what I am left with from this ideal dialogue with Ernesto Che Guevara is the discovery of an intense man who dedicated his whole self to the service of a ’freak’ idea: a humanity whose moral imperative is to evolve toward a more just society. An intellectual who turned the utopia of the ’new man’ into concrete action, working to build a society oriented to the common good, a society that does not forget the last. A man who really felt, on his own face, the burning of the slap given by power to a multitude of men and women deprived of hope and dignity,” said artistic director and curator of the exhibition Daniele Zambelli. “Behind the intellectual and the revolutionary, however, I also discovered the person: faithful to his ideals, certainly, but also traversed by doubts and uncertainties. His choices, sometimes made with full participation, other times with suffering, were always a response to a moral imperative of social justice, a commitment always paid in the first person.” “We may not completely agree with his ideas or the methods he adopted,” he continues, “but for me there remains a deep respect for a man who never hypocritically hid behind words, but shaped his convictions through actions, helping to give voice to those who had none. I hope that the exhibition will allow the public, especially the younger ones, to establish their own ideal dialogue with the character and that crucial historical period. Understanding the past better is essential to interpreting the present we live in today.”

For info: www.mostracheguevara.com

Hours: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Tuesdays.

An exhibition in Bologna dedicated to Che Guevara, a man and revolutionary who profoundly influenced entire generations

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