LAVINIA at Villa Borghese: second edition
Johanna Grawunder, Daniel Knorr
still onview: Ross Birrell & David Harding, Enzo Cucchi, Piero Golia, Gianni Politi, Monika Sosnowska
curated by Salvatore Lacagnina
From Monday, 26 May, Johanna Grawunder and Daniel Knorr are the protagonists of the new taste of LAVINIA, the contemporary art program curated by Salvatore Lacagnina, developed by Ghella, and promoted by Roma Capitale – Department of Culture, and the Capitoline Superintendency for Cultural Heritage, in collaboration with Zètema Progetto Cultura.
The program is designed to dialogue with the restoration of the Loggia dei Vini, nestled in the heart of Villa Borghese Park in Rome.
Named to pay homage to Lavinia Fontana (1552–1614) — one of the first women recognized by the canons of art history and featured in the Galleria Borghese collection — LAVINIA unfolds alongside the restoration of this 17th-century architectural gem. Following the renovation of the vaulted ceiling, central fresco, and pavilion pillars, this second phase has restored the outer walls, plasterwork, and roofing. The project is carried out by R.O.M.A. Consorzio under the scientific supervision of the Capitoline Superintendency and made possible thanks to a donation from Ghella.
To draw attention to the perimeter walls slated for restoration next year, American designer Johanna Grawunder (San Diego, 1961) has created Wile E. a Roma (2025), an installation featuring a series of fluorescent wall lamps emitting UV light. The work accentuates the “skin” of the wall—its aged texture and historic layers—illuminating its raw surface while fully respecting its integrity.
Trained as an architect and shaped through a longstanding collaboration with Ettore Sottsass, Grawunder has embraced light as a central medium, merging architectural scale with industrial materials and advanced technology.
At the Loggia’s center stands an installation by Daniel Knorr, an artist known for his conceptual investigations into the relationship between public and private space, and for exploring sociopolitical and cultural phenomena. The work reflects on waste as the “trachea” of a city — a metaphorical record of its breath, consumption, and life.
These remnants, treated as objets trouvés, are compressed with over 50 tons of pressure into the pages of an artist’s book. Now in its seventeenth edition, each volume opens with a text translated into a minority language of the host country. At the Loggia, the text will be in Latin, evoking Rome’s deep historical and cultural layers.
These two new site-specific works join the existing contemporary interventions at the Loggia: seating by Gianni Politi; the entrance handle by Monika Sosnowska; the endlessly flowing water fountain by Piero Golia; and Enzo Cucchi’s she-wolf guarding the view of the ancient nymphaeum. Outside, the Dante Desire Line Poetry Path by Ross Birrell & David Harding guides visitors in and out of the Loggia with the words of Dante.
The Loggia dei Vini, built between 1609 and 1618 at the behest of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, was historically used to serve wines and sorbets away from prying eyes. To honor this legacy, each LAVINIA inauguration is paired with a seasonal gelato flavor. On May 26, 2025, spring is celebrated with “strawberry and basil. gelato” During the opening, a solo flute recital titled Mural — a collaboration between artist Ross Birrell and Lebanese flautist-composer Wissam Boustany — transformed Mahmoud Darwish’s verses into musical notation.
LAVINIA is a three-year program running in tandem with the restoration process. It invites visitors of Villa Borghese to rediscover overlooked spaces and reimagine the timeless dialogue between art and architecture from a contemporary perspective.
LAVINIA
Loggia dei vini, Villa Borghese
Access from via Pinciana 18
00197 Rome
OPENING TIMES
Thursday–Friday, 2.00pm–7.00pm
Saturday–Sunday, 11.00am–7.00pm
CONTACT
laviniaroma.com
info@laviniaroma.com
Instagram
Photo credit Eleonora Cerri Pecorella, Paolo Fusco
