The group MACAO formed in 2012 to take action against the use of real estate as a speculative asset and the lack of independent cultural institutions in Milan. MACAO is a new autonomous centre for art in Milan, a city that has neither a museum for contemporary art nor a public centre for experimental art. The 31-storey Torre Galfa had already been empty for 15 years when it was occupied in April 2012 and occupied by activists, architects, programmers and committed citizens for a few weeks with a varied art and cultural programme. Despite the great support from well-known cultural figures and initially also from Stefano Boeri, Milan's city councillor for culture at the time, the city had the high-rise building vacated.
Goals
Goals
Renegotiating urban space / making urban space usable as a space of culture and common good
Outcomes
Outcomes
MACAO, a self-organised cultural platform, now occupies an old slaughterhouse in eastern Milan. The future of the institution, which is well received by the citizens, is uncertain. The Galfa Tower is to be sold and converted in the near future. In the meantime, the government has intervened and will decide on the future of the project.
