A new cultural space that works on the memory of the city (also through postcards) has been born in Rome

A new cultural space called URBS has opened in Rome's Testaccio district, founded by architect Andrea D'Antrassi in collaboration with Giovanni Colombara. The space debuted in 2024 as "The Smallest Museum by URBS," a 20-square-meter venue housing over 1,600 historical postcards of the city, creating a visual archive spanning different eras. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions, such as the current show "Not Mine, Not Yours" by Iranian artist Mehrdad Shadrooh, curated by Barbara Blasi, which draws from a family video-photo archive covering over eighty years of history. A commercial space has also been opened in Trastevere.

This initiative matters because it transforms Rome's layered urban identity through a dialogue between artistic research and artisan craftsmanship, offering a new model for cultural engagement that is both intimate and participatory. By combining an analog archive of postcards with contemporary art exhibitions, URBS creates a unique bridge between the city's past and present, while also providing a platform for emerging international artists like Shadrooh. The project exemplifies how small-scale, community-focused cultural spaces can enrich the urban fabric and preserve collective memory in a rapidly changing city.