Villa Panza in Varese Aims to Become a Major Exhibition Hub

Villa Panza and its collection in Varese are poised for renewed prominence with the opening of the group show 'Nel Tempo' (In Time), curated by Gabriella Belli in her new role as curator of exhibition and cultural activities for the FAI property. The exhibition, open from June 6, 2024 to January 6, 2025 and co-curated by Marta Spanevello, features 59 works by 23 artists drawn from Giuseppe Panza di Biumo's collection, the family's latest donation, and loans from the Fondazione Panza in Mendrisio. The show explores the concept of time, a theme Panza himself emphasized. Belli, former director of the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia and MART in Trento and Rovereto, describes the project as a return, having known Panza since 1996. Artists include Hanne Darboven, On Kawara (whose 'One Million Years' will be performed), Cioni Carpi, Walter De Maria, Maurizio Mochetti, Franco Monti, Vincenzo Agnetti, and Stephen Dean. A podcast aids comprehension of the five sections: sense, duration, places, noise, and experience of time. FAI president Marco Magnifico called it the most representative of Panza's spirit, noting Ian Wilson's conceptual 'Discussion' (1944) and Joseph Kosuth's 'The Eighth Investigation, Proposition 3'. Belli emphasizes the exhibition's aesthetic dimension and the urgency of contemporary art in a technological world that leaves no time to think.