Penelope's first exhibition at the Colosseum challenges her passive myth

The Parco Archeologico del Colosseo in Rome opens 'Penelope', the first exhibition dedicated to the Homeric figure, curated by Alessandra Sarchi and Claudio Franzoni. Housed in the Uccelliere Farnesiane and Tempio di Romolo, the show presents four thematic sections featuring paintings, sculptures, and reliefs, including a tribute to Sardinian artist Maria Lai (1919–2013), known for her textile work, in collaboration with the Archivio e Fondazione Maria Lai. The exhibition reinterprets Penelope not as a melancholic weaver waiting for Odysseus, but as a determined, resilient woman who uses the loom as a stratagem to delay suitors and maintains silent complicity with Odysseus upon his return. The loom is presented as a symbol of refined culture, requiring counting, memorization, and color sequencing, linking weaving to the art of the rhapsode ('cucitore di canti'). The show emphasizes Penelope's capacity to dream, distinguishing her from the rational Odysseus; in Odyssey Book XIX, she alone discerns true dreams (from the gate of horn) from false ones (from the gate of ivory), a skill Freud later referenced. This is the first in a cycle of three exhibitions on emblematic ancient female figures—Penelope, Antigone, and Sappho. The exhibition is organized by Electa and accompanied by a catalog.