Art where you find it

Rome, being well, Rome, is home to absolutely stunning locations for art installations. Art in situ is fantastic for, first the places themselves - often places you might otherwise not get into, and second for the creativity of the artists in applying their talent to these awe-inspiring (even awesome) locations.

It takes a lot of guts, too, for these spots in Rome to let the artists have their way. Some of our favorites of the past few years include the Villa dei Quintili, 5 (of course) Roman miles outside of the dead center of Rome; the Swiss Institute, just off via Veneto; the Villa Medici (the French Academy); and the area of the Sabine Mountains (more like hills - the Monti Sabini.

The Villa dei Quintili http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_of_the_Quintilii hosted a group show of contemporary artists throughout its immense archaeological site a couple years ago as well as works this year by Itto Kuetani, the Japanese-born "environmental sculptor" who has studied and works in Rome. http://www.kuetani.net/eindex.html. The villa is a ways out of Rome, and the address is on via Appia Nuova (1092), but you also can get there off via Appia Antica - so take the buses (including the Archeobus) that go there. We wouldn't miss it. [Photo at right above with "chicken" sculpture + Roman villa buildings in background from group show; Kuetani's is the single white sculpture in the photo below right.]

The Swiss Institute sits high on a hill near the via Veneto and, when the art is displayed all over its grounds you can freely roam the grounds and villa, including its high tower with fabulous views of the city. [Photo at top of post with plastic dragon over the Institute's "grotto" and at right through a small sculpture on its rooftop wall.]

The Sabina area has had a program each of the past three years featuring young foreign artists who put up 20 installations in various small towns in the region, including the stunning Abbey of Farfa (http://www.abbaziadifarfa.it/contatti.asp - only in Italian). On weekends during the art show, art students from nearby Rieti give free tours of the installations (our 2 guides in photo). It's not easy to get in and around these small towns, but worth any effort you make. http://www.arteinsabina.it/eng/home.htm. There's a frequent train running between the Fiumicino airport (and Rome stations) to one of the towns, Fara Sabina, and Rome bus service to the towns as well. You may want to reserve your lodging - there are almost no hotels in the region. The website above lists some nearby B&Bs.

The French Institute at the Villa Medici (top of the Spanish Steps-- a few steps north of the church) periodically opens its 6th century AD cistern for art installations. One of these installations was a dark pool of water full of Euro centesimi (pennies) that equalled the artist's stipend for his installation (sorry, too dark for our camera!).

Earlier this year we went to installations at the Austrian Cultural Forum in Valle Giulia (near the National Modern Art Gallery (Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna) at viale Bruno Buozzi, 113, and especially liked the ribbon-wrapped fence and statues outside the institute building. [Photo right + see post of 5.20.09]

Don't miss a chance to see any art in situ. Push aside Dan Brown and pale attempts to use Rome's fabulous sights (and sites) for literary schlock. Let's hear it for the real artists. Dianne

Austrians, Art and Ambience

Is contemporary art is alive and well in Rome? Our answer is yes, but of course, we had to see for ourselves.

The Spring shows of many small private galleries who belong to the Associazione Romana Gallerie D'Arte Moderna (A.R.G.A.M. - i.e., the Association of Rome's Modern Art Galleries) kicked off the night before last with new shows, music and, of course, the vernissage (a little extra - i.e., food and drink).

But we began our search for the answer to our own question off the beaten track a bit, at the Austrian cultural institute or, as it's called, the Austrian Cultural Forum in Valle Giulia. The institute itself is a well-proportioned 1935 building with a storied history that of course includes the German Anschluss in Austria, the Germans taking over the institute too (and making it a German history institute), the institute being taken over then by the Allies and then the Italian state (if I read the placard correctly), and finally returned to Austria and restored relatively recently.

We had wanted to see the Austrian institute for some time (Rome the Second Time features arts academies, but we had never been to this one). We stepped inside the gate and immediately felt an (very un-Roman) Austrian presence of precision and cleanliness. The art installations by Austrian sculptor (yes, I heard her say to one of the few Italians there, this all IS sculpture) Katharina Heinrich attempts to intervene and contradict the clean lines of the institute. Where they let her playful interventions go, she is successful - as we hope you can see from the photos - but much of the institute remains rigidly itself. Still this was our chance to get into the institute and have some free (for Bill, always a huge plus) wine and a nice spread of Italian foods.

Another disappointment to us, and no doubt to Katharina, was the small turnout. In our hour there, the first it was open, we saw about 40 people, mostly speaking German. And, from the size of the food and drink table, they weren't expecting many more. Where was the rest of the Rome art community? Has the Austrian cultural institute been too small a player on this scene? The sculpture and opening deserved more, and the sculpture will be there through September.

We then went into the Tridente ("trident") area near Piazza del Popolo to hit a couple of the A.R.G.A.M. galleries. The art ranged from not so hot to very good, but then you'd expect that in small galleries anywhere, including Soho and Chelsea. By the time we ended the evening the musicians were packing up, the "friends" were sitting in chairs telling their gallery owner friends how wonderful everything was, and the tourists were taking their tired limbs to the same tired restaurants - ignoring all this verve around them. And so we scootered home over the Gianicolo...what could be better? Dianne