The Academy of France at Villa Medici in Rome
As international travel slowly begins to return, there are countless reasons to visit, or return to, Rome; the art, food, culture, and hotels are just some of them. Another compelling reason is the reopening of the Villa Medici. After a year of lockdowns and quarantines, the Academy of France in Rome, at the Villa Medici, is set for a summer full of exhibitions and events.
Over the season, the Academy is showcasing the work of its fellows from this year, a collaboration between the photographic magazine TOILETPAPER and iconic British photographer Martin Parr, as well as a film festival and an exhibition of installation work by the Romanian visual artist Mircea Cantor. One can explore contemporary and experimental art and cinema throughout the gardens and house, contrasting against the traditional Mannerism of the villa.
The Academy’s fellows are showcasing their work in an enthusiastic exhibition, restoring, and extending, their year of work at the Villa Medici. Under the curation of Laura Cherubini, the work of the sixteen artists highlights the hinges between individual creation and collective projects, weaving unexpected links between disciplines ranging from painting, sculpture, and architecture to sound creations, art theory and literature. As well as their art pieces, the exhibition will also showcase their collaborative digital publication, ECCO Revue, published monthly by diverse contributors, around a theme taken from a basic word that evokes a sound or form as a pretext for reflection.
TOILETPAPER is a photographic magazine established in 2010 by internationally renowned artist Maurizio Cattelan and fashion photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari. This summer, the magazine is collaborating with the emblematic photographer Martin Parr to create an installation of over 40 photographs in the Renaissance gardens of the Villa, across wandering paths conceived by architects Alice Grégoire and Clément Périsse. The visual repertoire is overflowing with colourful, experimental pieces showcase on a grand scale, set against the natural hues of the garden.
Since 2016, under the curation of Pier Paolo Pancotto, the Art Club series has presented the work of international contemporary artists at Villa Medici, in a spirit of openness to the most varied forms of creation. From 20th May to 19th September 2021, Art Club #32 invites Mircea Cantor. The visual artist, born in Romania in 1977 but today living and working in Paris, has been exhibited around the world in museums such as the Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art, in New York. His work displayed at the villa is a reflection on the historic and cultural components which shape reality, and the diverse semantic nuances which articulate it.
The villa will also host a film festival, over five days in September from the 15th to the 19th. Dedicated to artists and film makers who explore contemporary themes and movements, the international event will show 15 films of varying lengths and genres. On top of the showings, the festival will award two prizes; the Villa Medici Prize for the Best Film, and the Jury Prize, for the film which catches the independent jury’s eye. With outdoor screenings in the gardens, installations and performances, the festival promises a wide range of engrossing content.
Find out more at villamedici.it
