Brescia sees the birth of MUM, Italy's first Metro Urban Museum

An unprecedented art experience is about to come to life in Brescia. Starting April 1, 2025, the Lombard city will welcome the Metro Urban Museum (MUM), the first urban art museum integrated into the Italian metro network. Located in the Via Magnolini metro depot and distributed along the city’s rails, MUM represents an innovation in the national cultural landscape: a museum without walls, without tickets and in constant transformation, accessible free of charge to all. With 600 square meters of wall space and four urban art trains in transit, the project covers more than 2,000 square meters, becoming a true art gallery in motion. The idea was born in 2023, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Brescia Metro and the year of Brescia Bergamo Capital of Culture, with the aim of creating a bridge between the historical heritage and the most innovative expressions of street art.

The official opening of the Metro Urban Museum will be celebrated with an intervention by Peeta, one of the most prestigious names in international urban art. The Venetian artist, known for his ability to transform surfaces through optical illusions and three-dimensional geometric games, will present Explicit Dynamics, a monumental mural created on the facade of one of the Metro depot buildings and on an entire moving convoy. The work, characterized by the use of white and red, amplifies the concept of dynamism through fluid volumes that seem to spill out of the wall, creating a continuous interaction between space and visual perception. The presence of an exclamation mark in the center of the composition becomes a symbol of acceleration, energy and transformation, evoking the incessant rhythm of the subway.

MUM’s artistic journey: from Luca Font to J. Demsky and Joys

The Metro Urban Museum was not born out of nothing. It kicks off in April 2023 with Luca Font’s Connections, a work that inaugurates the museum’s artistic revolution through an essential geometric language capable of connecting urban landscapes and contemporary mobility. In June of the same year, the baton passes to J. Demsky, who with Hypr Metrobot™ transforms the museum into a visual explosion inspired by 1980s and 1990s arcade video games. The result is a work that reflects the speed and dynamism of digital society.

In November 2024, it is the turn of Joys, an artist who through lettering and geometry creates YARDA, a three-dimensional mural in which green becomes the protagonist, dialoguing with the urban landscape and its social fabric. With the arrival of Peeta, the museum expands further, consolidating itself as a reference point for international street art and an innovative cultural experiment that redefines the concept of exhibition space. One of the most original aspects of the MUM is the transformation of subway trains into real traveling works of art. Thanks to this solution, the Metro Urban Museum stands out for the way in which the works are enjoyed, making the art experience accessible to everyone, without time limits or physical barriers.

Peeta and his art between optical illusion and spatial perception

Behind the name Peeta is Manuel Di Rita, an artist born in the province of Venice in 1980 and active on the international scene since the 1990s. His research began in the world of graffiti writing, and then evolved into a language that combines painting, sculpture and installation, with a particular focus on the relationship between form, space and perception. His style is distinguished by his use of anamorphosis and optical illusions, tools that allow him to redefine the relationship between two- and three-dimensionality, transforming flat surfaces into seemingly sculpted volumes.

In the case of Explicit Dynamics, the concept of movement becomes central: the composition is inspired by the scientific methods used to study the aerodynamics of vehicles, translating this research into an innovative pictorial language. The result is a work that invites the viewer to a new perceptual experience, in which the boundary between reality and illusion becomes increasingly thin. The Brescia Metro Urban Museum will officially open to the public from April 2025. Access will be free, with the possibility of booking guided tours for groups of minimum 15 and maximum 50 people, lasting about 45 minutes.

For information and reservations: comunicazione@bresciamobilita.it.

Brescia sees the birth of MUM, Italy's first Metro Urban Museum

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