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Yan Pei-Ming Paints Prisoners of Regina Coeli for Vatican's New Gallery

exhibition · 2026-04-26

The Vatican's Dicastery for Culture and Education has inaugurated Conciliazione 5, a new window gallery in Rome dedicated to contemporary art. The inaugural exhibition, curated by Cristiana Perrella for the first year, features Chinese artist Yan Pei-Ming's project 'Oltre il muro – Regina Coeli, Roma'. The show comprises 27 watercolor portraits of inmates, prison police, volunteers, a doctor, and the chaplain of Rome's Regina Coeli prison. Each portrait is identified by the subject's first name, emphasizing their individuality beyond their crimes. Yan Pei-Ming, known for his reinterpretations of Velázquez's Innocent X, aims to give visibility to the invisible. The gallery, located on Via della Conciliazione, is viewable from the street 24/7, designed to stimulate cultural, civil, and spiritual reflection on universal themes.

Key facts

  • Conciliazione 5 is a new window gallery in Rome owned by the Vatican's Dicastery for Culture and Education.
  • The inaugural exhibition features Chinese artist Yan Pei-Ming.
  • The exhibition is titled 'Oltre il muro – Regina Coeli, Roma'.
  • It includes 27 watercolor portraits of inmates, prison police, volunteers, a doctor, and the chaplain of Regina Coeli prison.
  • Each portrait is identified by the subject's first name.
  • Cristiana Perrella is managing the space for the first year.
  • The gallery is located on Via della Conciliazione and is always visible from the street.
  • Yan Pei-Ming was born in Shanghai in 1960.

Entities

Artists

  • Yan Pei-Ming

Institutions

  • Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Vatican
  • Conciliazione 5
  • Regina Coeli prison

Locations

  • Rome
  • Italy
  • Shanghai
  • China
  • Via della Conciliazione

Sources