For almost two centuries, the Venturoli Artistic College Foundation in Bologna has dedicatedly pursued the noble mission of supporting young creative minds. Active since 1825 through the architect’s will Angelo Venturoli (Medicine, 1749 – Bologna, 1821), was initially structured as a true artistic training school and from 1930 onwards offered scholarships and workshops for artists under 30 through rigorous competitions and annual checks. Since its founding, it has been housed in a magnificent late 17th century palace with elegant frescoes in the heart of Bologna’s historic center. This residence houses not only the archive of Angelo Venturoli (the complete corpus of his drawings, books, correspondence and his valuable scientific collection of polychrome marbles), but also residential buildings a diverse art collection: Over the years, the artistic heritage has been enriched by the works donated by the fellows at the end of their artistic stays, a heritage that today includes about 300 pieces.
The exhibition at Venturoli College in Bologna
The most recent opening of the exhibition NEW ROOMS | NEW ENTRIES, in the renovated premises in Via Centotrecento marks an important chapter in the history of the foundation. The collective highlights the works of Barbara Baroncini, Irene Fenara, Giacomo Gresleri, Simona Paladino and Davide Trabucco, young artists (and an architect) who, thanks to a ten-year stay as fellows in the college, have contributed to enriching the college’s collection of old rooms of the college.
This exhibition is also an opportunity to present new acquisitions of significant importance. Barbara Baroncini (Bologna, 1989) contributed photographic documentation of the work Count on people, an interactive installation in which the audience plays an active role in the creation of the work itself. The young architect Giacomo Gresleri (Bologna, 1991) focused his attention on Villa Ghisilieri, an emblematic example of neglected cultural heritage, with the aim of providing a complete overview of its historical significance.
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6/6The artists exhibited at Venturoli College
Irene Fenara (Bologna, 1990) donated the work At sight, a study of visual perception based on surveillance cameras, tools that are known to often produce blurry images due to errors and noise. The work of Simona Paladino (Medicine, 1987), Untitledis a collection of graphic research on paper that explores the concept of the point as a fundamental element, transforming two-dimensionality into subtle sculptures through various techniques. Finally the project Compliant From Davide Trabucco (Bologna, 1987) is an investigation of iconography and the recursivity of compositional forms and structures through the montage of images that generate new perspectives and interpretations.
The exhibition also includes a tribute to the architect Angelo Venturoli through the works of the university’s student architects: Enrico Brunetti Rodati, Raffaele Faccioli and Alfonso Modenesi.
The restoration of the Venturoli College Gallery
The exhibition takes place in the new gallery, which was previously used as a plaster gallery and has now been moved to an adjacent room. This restoration was conceived by Nicola Melinelli (Perugia, 1988), a contemporary artist who designed the interior and exterior spaces of the college for the occasion, with the aim of skillfully combining the ancient and the contemporary while preserving the history of the college. The inner garden has been transformed into a unique space in which noble plants mix with wild varieties, creating an extraordinary biodiversity.
Valentina Rossi