‘The House of the Milky Way’ project by Antonello Ghezzi has been realized at the Canadian University Dubai as a workshop for the students, an exhibition and a panel talk, thanks to the support of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Abu Dhabi.
(photos courtesy of the Marketing Department at CUD)
‘The House of the Milky Way’ is an interactive, public contemporary art project that has travelled the globe, being activated in cities like Faenza, Cordoba, Santiago del Cile, Ramallah, and Beirut. The message of the project is that we are all citizens of the Milky Way galaxy, and that if an embassy was realized for this galaxy, we would all belong there. The project thus proclaims unity and peace at its core concepts. “If our galaxy were a single nation, how would its offices look like and what actions could be performed in its spaces?” Antonello Ghezzi put together this premise for the project from the start.
Antonello Ghezzi is an Italian artist duo comprised of Nadia Antonello and Paolo Ghezzi, and they are based in Bologna. They have been reflecting on the theme of peace and hope for years. The project in Dubai was realized on January 29, 2026 at the Canadian University Dubai with the support and sponsorship of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Abu Dhabi. The workshop involved students from different disciplines at the Canadian University of Dubai, with the leadership of Paolo Ghezzi, CUD professor Zeineb Naouar, and the very valuable guidance of the Dean of the School of Architecture and Interior Design Dr Massimo Imparato. The 2-day workshop ended with a Panel Discussion on January 31, 2026, which explored co-design, community engagement, and the transformative power of art and culture in intercultural dialogue for economic and social development. The panelists were Dr Susanna Iacona Salafia, the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute of Abu Dhabi; Paolo Ghezzi; Dr Nahed Chakouf from Zayed University; and the panel was moderated by Dr Massimo Imparato.
The panel talk coincided with the launch of the exhibition, which is ongoing until the end of the week of February 2nd. You can visit the exhibition at Canadian University Dubai at City Walk, in Dubai and see the exceptional artworks and installations.
