Baraonda: 48-hour art and music takeover at W Rome hotel

On May 18-19, 2023, the W Rome hotel in Via Liguria, near Via Veneto, will host Baraonda, a 48-hour immersive art and music event conceived by artist Gianni Politi (Rome, 1986) and creative director Mario Valerio Nocenzi (b. 1984, founder of MOD agency and son of Vittorio Nocenzi, founder of Banco del Mutuo Soccorso). The project transforms the hotel into a living artwork through installations, performances, and works by a curated circle of Roman artists. Highlights include Giovanni de Cataldo's performance within the Monte delle Grotte installation, inspired by a tufa hill along Via Flaminia, featuring MDF panels perforated with construction net patterns and watercolors by Dario Carratta. Other performances involve Lucrezia de Fazio, Diego Gualandris, and Jahan Khajavi. Independent curator Salvatore Lacagnina will read De Sade. Andrea Mauti's sculptural work Cornucopia 2787 occupies a suite and its acoustics, projecting viewers a millennium after Goethe's first Italian journey. Additional participants include Opium Child (alias Francesco de Figueiredo, known for Heroin in Tahiti and NERO), tattoo artist Scarful, 15A Studio (by Lucrezia de Fazio and Teodora di Robilant, focusing on jewelry), Emiliano Maggi, and others. Politi describes the event as a 'seed of graceful chaos' in a special location, collaborating with W Rome in a revitalizing area.