Granpalazzo

Conceived by Paola Capata, Delfo Durante, Ilaria Gianni, and Federica Schiavo, for its first edition, Granpalazzo, presents the works of 18 artists supported by 18 of the most dynamic and interesting galleries coming from the Italian and International art scene, a performance programme curated by Ilaria Gianni, and a series of special projects.

As a first attempt of an event developed outside the usual contemporary art appointments, Granpalazzo will take place in an intimate and relaxing dimension, which aims to encourage an authentic dialogue between artists, the audience and art professionals. The goal of the organizing team is to emphasize the quality of the artistic discourse in the contemporary sphere by focusing on a small amount of artists and their related galleries, whose practices stand out in terms of high-level curatorship, effective scouting, and the creation of an independent market.

Coming from Italy, Algeria, Argentina, Croatia, Cuba, Germany, Great Britain, Moldavia, Poland, Portugal, the U.S., and Switzerland, the artists will show their works – some of which have been specifically produced and others re-though in their display – in a narrative path articulated throughout the beautiful rooms of Palazzo Rospigliosi, suggesting a dialogue between different poetics, styles, and artistic approaches. ‘For the first edition of Granpalazzo, we chose among some of the most interesting, serious, and consistent artists in the contemporary art scene’ says Ilaria Gianni. ‘The challenge of the project’, she goes on, ‘is to create a bridge between epochs: a respectful, reciprocal relationship between the art of the past, represented by the aristocratic Palazzo Rospigliosi, with its architecture, its frescoed decorations illustrating the history of the families that have inhabited it – and consequently narrating a portion of Italy’s artistic and political history – and the interpretation of the present through the contemporary. In order to create an innovative, pertinent dialogue with the complex program of the Palazzo, the artists have been invited to interact with the site, and to explore the artistic repertoire of the country by presenting ambitious and specifically conceived installations for its the rooms. In this way, forms, points of view, visual interpretations of the present will coexist with a tangible history, developing a dimension which calls into question the viewer and his space-and-time perception’.

Built during the 16th century by the Colonna family – protagonist of the Reinassance and Baroque in Rome – and after purchased by the Rospigliosi Pallavicini family, the building houses wonderful unique works, including frescoes and grotesques in an excellent state of preservation. Beside the exhibition the building will host a series of performances and special projects specifically developed for the occasion.

Opening hours: 10am – 8pm