Villa Medici's 350-Year Residency Program Celebrated in Summer Exhibition

Key facts

• Villa Medici's residency program began in 1666 with the founding of the French Academy in Rome by Louis XIV.
• The 350-year tradition has hosted notable figures including Berlioz, Carpeaux, Debussy, Garnier, Ingres, and more recently François Rouan, Henri Loyrette, Élisabeth Ballet, Ange Leccia, Yan-Pei Ming, Valérie Mréjen, Bruno Mantovani.
• Fellows are selected by an international committee and receive an apartment, studio, grant, and residency allowance for 12 months.
• Since 2009, the French Academy has organized a summer exhibition honoring its fellows; 'Teatro delle Esposizioni #7' is curated by NERO.
• Fourteen authors are featured, including directors, philosophers, writers, visual artists, designers, and musicians.
• The exhibition design uses a book format with macro captions, annotated pages, photographic notes, and lecterns.
• Sébastien Roux created a sound installation translating Sol LeWitt's murals into music using four speakers.
• Jackson transformed a small room into a dreamlike installation titled 'terrore' with projected images and smoke.
• Fabrice Denys (Fantazio) performed a dada-inspired piece combining double bass, voice, and a text addressed to the Pope.
• Johan Brunel presented a nomadic sauna prototype referencing Roman baths and Nordic sauna traditions.
• Anne-Violaine Houcke's installation in the ancient cistern focused on filmmaker Cecilia Mangini and her 1961 film 'La Canta delle marane'.
• The exhibition runs until September 18, 2016, at Villa Medici, Rome.