On the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, the Russo Gallery in Rome celebrates the greatest playwright of all time with the exhibition Shakespeare in Rome, a contemporary tribute to his genius and the influence he continues to exert on artistic languages today.
Curated by Maria Cecilia Vilches Riopedre, with a catalogue essay by British journalist and critic Andrew Dickson, the exhibition is supported by the British Council in Italy (the United Kingdom’s international organization for cultural relations). It is part of the broader Shakespeare Lives project: a year-long global program of events and activities celebrating the influence of William Shakespeare on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of his death, in collaboration with the GREAT Britain campaign partners.
The exhibition features works by seven young artists—Enrico Benetta, Diego Cerero Molina, Roberta Coni, Manuel Felisi, Michael Gambino, Massimo Giannoni, and Tommaso Ottieri—who bring Shakespeare’s works, settings, atmospheres, and characters back to life through original and innovative reinterpretations.
Benetta pays tribute to The Merchant of Venice with a site-specific installation that highlights the dramatic power of Shakespeare’s writings through the colors black and red. The ambivalent nature of humanity, ambition, and the subtle distinction between good and evil, life and death are instead evoked in two works by Diego Cerero Molina. Roberta Coni presents three portraits depicting some of Shakespeare’s most celebrated heroines: Lady Macbeth, Juliet, and Ophelia.
Inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Manuel Felisi’s mixed-media work on canvas creates a romantic and dreamlike atmosphere in which layers of floral ornaments and letters merge with the final photographic image. Michael Gambino interprets Shakespeare and his works through his poetic compositions of butterflies and books, while also contributing an original portrait of the playwright. An unprecedented depiction of William Shakespeare also emerges among the masses of books and volumes in one of Massimo Giannoni’s characteristic library paintings. Finally, Tommaso Ottieri is represented by two large interior views of the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, staged with the sets of The Tempest, as well as two previously unseen compositions inspired by the figures of Lady Macbeth and Yorick.
