relazioni 1998-2026

Now in development, Relazioni Montez is being produced through an independent pre-sale. Early supporters are helping us complete the publication and bring this living archive into print.

Relazioni Montez is an editorial and research project documenting the history of the Montez Group in Europe from 1998 to 2026. From Kunstverein Familie Montez in Frankfurt to the establishment of Atelier Montez in Rome, the publication traces a transnational and intergenerational network shaped by artists, curators, researchers and cultural institutions across different geographical and disciplinary contexts.

At the core of the project is an extensive collection of independent sources, including newspaper articles, magazine reviews, television reports, academic papers, exhibition catalogues, museum publications, books, interviews and public records. These materials are being digitised, classified, referenced and connected in order to preserve their original context and make the history of the Montez Group accessible through a structured body of documented archive.

Across generations and geographical contexts, the Montez Group has developed into a shared cultural infrastructure encompassing artistic practice, independent spaces, archives, research and technological experimentation. The archive gathered through Relazioni Montez forms an organised knowledge base for future publications, institutional research and the development of Montez Research.

The catalogue traces the history of the Montez Group across Europe from 1998 to 2026, following its development from Frankfurt to Rome and beyond.

The journey begins with Kunstverein Familie Montez in Frankfurt, an artist-led community built on collective practice, cultural exchange and the transmission of knowledge across generations. In 2012, this experience expanded into the Roman context with the establishment of Atelier Montez in Pietralata through a process of participatory urban regeneration. Atelier Montez was developed as a space where exhibitions, performances, public programmes and research connected artistic practice with its social and urban environment.

The title Relazioni Montez reflects this evolving network of people, places, knowledge and technologies, and the collaborations that continue to shape the Montez Group.

Relazioni Montez is conceived as a networked archive in which the printed publication and its digital infrastructure form a single documentary system. The book brings together texts, press materials, photographs and archival documents, while QR codes provide access to connected digital records within ARTup. These records can include original scans, searchable texts, audiovisual material, interviews, artworks, metadata and references to related artists, events, people and places. The printed volume therefore functions as a physical interface to an archive that can continue to grow beyond its pages.

Developed through the ARTup infrastructure, the publication treats digitalisation not as an additional feature but as an integral research method. While the book provides a curated narrative and a permanent physical record, its digital layer makes the documented material accessible, interconnected and open to future expansion. Together, these elements create a distributed archive through which the history of the Montez Group can be explored across different media and perspectives.

In this sense, Relazioni Montez is conceived as the first publication developed natively within the ARTup infrastructure and as a working model for Montez Research. By transforming independent sources into an organised digital knowledge base, the project creates a foundation for future publications, academic research and institutional collaboration. The book is therefore both an editorial work and an evolving research instrument, connecting the cultural history of the Montez Group with new methods of documentation, access and knowledge production.

Relazioni Montez is a publication in progress. Its archive, research and editorial framework are already being developed; the next phase is to complete the book and prepare it for publication.

By pre-ordering, you do more than reserve a copy. You directly support the work required to complete the publication and help demonstrate the audience behind the project as we present it to editors and publishing partners.