Eleven world-renowned artists – Urs Fischer, Piero Golia, Carsten Höller, Ibrahim Mahama, Mariko Mori, Sterling Ruby, Jim Shaw, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Aya Takano, Lee Ufan e Liu Wei – have been involved in a debut project by philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen and Mario Codognato, director of Berggruen Arts & Culture. Janus, the name of the exhibition, “shows our commitment – explains Berggruen – to build on our past in modern fashion.” Palazzo Diedo will study the relationship between modern art and the past between East and West. It will run artist’s residencies, exhibitions, events, screenings, and performances. Participant artists created site-specific original, scenic art that complements the building’s architecture and that is, in all likelihood, here to stay. The exhibition is also accompanied by two special projects. The first is a solo exhibition by Rhea Dillon in collaboration with The Kitchen in New York, a London-based artist and writer who often examines the ways in which Blackness is conceptualized in aesthetic and theoretical practice. Her work is explored through the film Browning 2025 and some large-scale sculptures. The second special project, 20×24 at Diedo, promoted by the Polaroid Foundation, is an artistic action that invites artists in the exhibition to create an original work using the most widely used instant camera in the world, the Polaroid 20×24. Palazzo Diedo also hosts the premiere of Peace Crystal: A Prayer for Peace by Mariko Mori, a work that will be visible in the Gardens of Palazzo Corner della Ca’ Granda on the Grand Canal from May 13. Finally, a small cinema created within the Palazzo will screen every Thursday until November, OUSSS, the latest film by Koo Jeong A, an artist representing South Korea at the 2024 Art Biennale.

Featured image: Palazzo Diedo (particolare) – Photo Massimo Pistore