Around Empathy. Philosophical Conversations

• Roberto Diodato

From 6 October to 20 November 2026, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan is hosting Exercises in Empathy: Spiritual Machines, the Milan stage of ArtCut 2026, the first Triennial of Contemporary Art of Catholic Universities, conceived by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça and curated by Nuno Crespo. An international project that puts art at the center of a reflection on empathy, understood as the ability to enter into a relationship with others and to look at the world from different perspectives.

In Milan, the works of Orla Barry, Rui Chafes, Rodrigo Cass and Gian Maria Tosatti enter into dialogue with the historic spaces of the University: sculptures, videos, sounds and installations transform cloisters, courtyards, classrooms and corridors into places of meeting, listening and contemplation.

Spiritual Machines explores the relationship between matter and spirit, body and space, technology and interiority, inviting us to slow down and observe what surrounds us with a different gaze.

An exhibition to walk through and experience: an exercise in attention, relationship and empathy