A festival of contemporary art hosted in selected shops in central Rome opens on Saturday 27 October, when 30 artists will exhibit in 21 shops in the Tridente, Campo de’ Fiori, Monti and Pantheon areas.

Under the banner Vetrinale, the eight-day festival will feature painters, sculptors, video artists, photographers, musicians and dancers interacting with the host shops, creating a continuous dialogue between artistic expression and the everyday commercial reality of the exhibition spaces, say the organisers.  Customers in the shops will be involved in the performances.

Against the background of twenty permanent exhibitions, a program of daily events will start with separate vernissages in the four areas of the city centre on Saturday, and finish on Saturday 3 November with a dance performance in Piazza Madonna dei Monti.

Vetrinale is curated by three experts in the field of artistic expression – Cecilia Casorati, Micol Di Veroli and Yuri Elena – and was planned and organised by lawyer Simona Ventullo, who says her aim is to combine her curiosity for the world of contemporary art with her experience of shops which, be it for their wares, their atmosphere or their staff, are particularly interesting.

The full programme and details of the artists and the shops taking part in the festival is available on the Vetrinale website.