On the occasion of the entry of the Archive of the Dena Foundation for Contemporary Art into the CRRI - Research Center of the Castello di Rivoli, and to celebrate the eighteen years of activity of the Dena Foundation (2001-2019), the Castello di Rivoli Museo of Contemporary Art dedicates a documentary exhibition to the Foundation chaired by Giuliana Setari Carusi.
The driving force behind the foundation of the Foundation was the personal passion for contemporary art of the spouses Giuliana and Tommaso Setari, which resulted, in 1980, in the establishment of an important private collection, also distinguishing themselves through donations of works of art to museums. The collection was gradually hosted in residences in New York, Rome, Paris, Milan and Brussels. Everywhere, over the years, artists, curators and critics, museum directors, professionals from the world of art and culture have been welcomed here, and thus personal relationships have been established that have allowed the realization of numerous artistic projects.

The Foundation , starting from the objective of supporting young and emerging artists, as well as those already established, over the years has differentiated its work in the field of contemporary art through the conception, promotion and realization of various routes.

At the center of the activities , the Residency Program for artists and curators, at the Center International d'Accueil et d'Echanges des Récollets in Paris and at Art Omi International Artists Residency - Omi International Arts Center in the State of New York, born from the sense hospitality that has always characterized Giuliana and Tommaso Setari's approach to the world of art. More than fifty artists participated in the program, including Meris Angioletti, Nico Angiuli, Paola Anziché, Dafne Boggeri, Alessandro Di Pietro, Cleo Fariselli, Matteo Fato, Michael Fliri, Linda Fregni Nagler, Chiara Fumai, Invernomuto, Francesco Jodice, Domenico Mangano , Diego Marcon, Richard Sympson, Marinella Senatore, Ester Sparatore and Donatella Spaziani.

In recent years, the collaboration with the NAC - National Art Council of Singapore has brought the artists Debbie Ding, Bruce Quec, Hafiz B. Osman, Melissa Tan, Luke Heng, Stéphanie Jane Burt, Hilmi Johandi, Muhammad Izdi to Paris.

Born in 2001, the “Dena Foundation Art Award” is the largest in the world dedicated exclusively to celebrating works of art in public space. It was awarded to Fabien Verschaere (2001), Luca Vitone (2002), Michael Rakowitz (2003), Michael Sailstorfer (2005), Ryan Gander (2007), Renata Lucas (2009), thanks to a scientific committee made up of Carolyn Christov- Bakargiev, Helmut Friedel, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Roberto Pinto and Dora Stiefelmeier.

The Dena Foundation has promoted initiatives such as, from 2006 to 2008, the Janus Summer Symposium, an annual event at the LeWitt Foundation in Praiano (Salerno), conceived by the interdisciplinary magazine Janus, directed by Nicola Setari since 2006, as well as the organization of meetings, tables roundabouts and visits to studios at the Center des Récollets (among others: Please, knock before entry, 2003; Ubiquity as a paradigm of contemporary culture and life, 2004; Jeune photographie italienne contemporaine: une géographie des talents naissants, 2008).

Over the years he has directly created collective exhibitions , collaborating with many important public and private international institutions: Inhabituel, 2005 (La Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan / Center culturel français, Milan); Beyond the Dust - Artists' Documents Today, 2010-11 (De Vleeshal, Middelburg / La Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan / Center culturel français, Milan / Fondation d'entreprise Ricard, Paris); Les Associations Libres, 2012-13 (La Maison Rouge, Paris); The Yellow Side of Sociality - Italian Artists in Europe, 2014-15 (Bozar, Brussels).

Alongside the residency program , the Art Award and international exhibitions, the Dena Foundation, since the beginning of its activity in 2001, through support in various fields and financial support, has also made it possible to implement exhibitions in museums and on the occasion of international events by artists such as Carla Accardi, Rosa Barba, Davide Bertocchi, Anna Boghiguian, Jimmie Durham, Yona Friedman, Chiara Fumai, Ryan Gander, Pierre Huyghe, Marcos Lutyens, Michael Rakowitz, Gerhard Richter and Marinella Senatore.

The exhibition develops from these nuclei to give a voice to artists, curators, personalities from the world of culture who, through their participation, have contributed to the tireless work and growth of the Dena Foundation.