LENS #04 — Culture Exhibit Cycle
Venus — PM23, Rome
through July 19, 2026
The exhibition Venus in Rome by Joana Vasconcelos, exploring the meaning of femininity and the dialogue between the arts.
by Susanna Tradati, Co-Founder, Nemesi Architects
A Visit to VENUS. Valentino Garavani through the eyes of Joana Vasconcelos, currently on view at PM23 through July 19, 2026, has left us with reflections that go beyond the quality of the works on display. More than just an exhibition, the project curated by the Valentino Garavani Foundation and Giancarlo Giammetti appears to be an opportunity to reflect on an issue that permeates much of contemporary culture: Who today produces the meanings that define our society, and what forms of knowledge do we choose to recognize as culture?
Joana Vasconcelos’s work has always straddled this boundary. Her monumental and immersive works combine aesthetic dimension with social reflection, transforming materials, objects, and techniques rooted in the tradition of craftsmanship into tools capable of speaking to the present. At the heart of her work lies the theme of female identity, explored not through unambiguous representations but through a complex narrative made up of contradictions, transformations, and multiple possibilities for interpretation.
VENUS | PM23 Palazzo Mignanelli Rome, Italy © 2026 FVG Services © 2026 Soqquadro
The woman portrayed by Vasconcelos is not a static symbol. She is a contemporary figure who embodies strength and vulnerability, autonomy and connection, tradition and change. The political dimension of her work stems precisely from this ability to challenge images and stereotypes that have become entrenched over time, offering new perspectives through the language of art.
But the artist’s reflection is not limited to what the works convey. It also concerns the way in which they are created. A significant portion of her body of work, in fact, stems from the involvement of women who preserve traditional craft skills related to embroidery, weaving, basketry, and fabric processing. In the large-scale installation VENUS, this aspect takes on an even deeper meaning: manual labor becomes an integral part of the work’s message, and the creative process transforms into a collective experience that brings together different communities.
What makes these works particularly relevant today is not just their aesthetic value. It is the fact that they bring to light forms of knowledge that have long been considered marginal. Embroidery, weaving, braiding, sewing: activities traditionally associated with the feminine sphere and rarely recognized as cultural production. Vasconcelos overturns this hierarchy and brings this knowledge to the forefront of the contemporary art scene.
In this sense, craftsmanship is not merely a technical skill, but a cultural language and a statement of position— a powerful message already expressed by other great artists such as Maria Lai. The hands that create the work contribute to the construction of its meaning, restoring centrality to skills that have long remained on the margins of official art narratives.
VENUS | PM23 Palazzo Mignanelli Rome, Italy © 2026 FVG Services © Michele Colasuonno
VENUS | PM23 Palazzo Mignanelli Rome, Italy © 2026 FVG Services © Michele Colasuonno
Another particularly interesting aspect of the exhibition concerns the dialogue with Valentino Garavani’s creative universe. The juxtaposition of Vasconcelos’s works and the fashion house’s garments creates more than just an aesthetic relationship. It reveals a shared sensibility toward craftsmanship, formal exploration, and the ability to transform materials into cultural expression. In both cases, the artisanal gesture transcends the technical dimension and becomes a tool for interpreting one’s own era.
What makes this dialogue even more meaningful is the personal bond that connects Joana Vasconcelos to Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti. This bond of friendship and mutual respect demonstrates how culture often arises from encounters between people even before it does between disciplines. Art, fashion, craftsmanship, and creative exploration find common ground here, showing how the most interesting forms of cultural innovation often emerge from the intersection of different languages.
VENUS | PM23 Palazzo Mignanelli Rome, Italy © 2026 FVG Services © 2026 Soqquadro
PERHAPS THIS IS PRECISELY THE MOST TIMELY INSIGHT THE EXHIBITION OFFERS.
IN AN AGE CHARACTERIZED BY GROWING SPECIALIZATION,
THE VALUE OF CULTURE LIES IN ITS ABILITY TO FORGE CONNECTIONS.
TO FOSTER DIALOGUE BETWEEN DIFFERENT SKILLS, PERSPECTIVES, AND VISIONS.
TO GENERATE NEW PERSPECTIVES THROUGH ENCOUNTERS.
It is no coincidence that an exhibition of this kind is being held at PM23. Every organization chooses the spaces through which to represent itself and the values it considers important. The Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation’s space, designed by Nemesi Architects, was conceived as a contemporary cultural hub in the heart of Rome—a place open to dialogue between art, fashion, architecture, and society. More than just an exhibition space, PM23 was created as a cultural platform capable of fostering encounters and cross-pollination between different disciplines.
At a time in history when culture is often at risk of being consumed too quickly, VENUS reminds us that its deepest value lies not in the production of images, but in its ability to generate meaning, bringing to light stories, skills, and forms of knowledge that are all too often marginalized, yet which here engage in a dialogue marked by commitment, irony, disenchantment, and courage.
LENS was born out of a desire to put curiosity and mindfulness back at the centre, to broaden our view of the world and continue to talk about beauty and current events, even as our environment — complex and polluted — sometimes seems to be falling apart.
