The exhibitions to see in June in Italy

June has arrived. The weather is still variable, uncertain whether to continue with rain and cold or let spring bloom. The result? We never know what to do on free weekends. Go for a trip, organize a picnic with friends, or stay home waiting for summer to sweep away any climatic indecision. The solution could be to dedicate ourselves to art, by visiting one of the many exhibitions available throughout Italy. From Venice to Palermo, the protagonists are diverse artists who, through paintings, installations, sculptures, and performances, offer us their interpretation of the world, balanced between dream and reality. In the coming weeks, we can choose between big names like Marc Chagall and Mario Testino, unknown but fundamental talents like Rosa Genoni, and Italians like Elena Ketra and Lara Almarcegui.

Here are the exhibitions to see in June in Italy.

Elena Ketra - Rome

There are multiple myths about the origins of Lilith. All describe a dark goddess symbolizing lust and carnal desire. According to Mesopotamian religions, Lilith was Adam’s first wife, created from the soil like him and therefore equal. When she refused to submit to Adam, both in their relationship and sexually, she fled from the Garden of Eden to exercise her right to assert her free will and sexual independence. Since then, she has become an icon of untamed femininity, a symbol of empowerment, a feminist icon who proudly opposed patriarchy. This primordial matriarchal figure is the subject of Elena Ketra's latest exhibition at the Mucciaccia Gallery Project in Rome, open until July.

Title: Elena Ketra | Lo sguardo di Lilith

When: from June 6, 2024, to July 4, 2024

Where: Mucciaccia Gallery Project, Rome

Marc Chagall - Conversano

Until October 27, the Polo Museale - Castello Conti Acquaviva D'Aragona in Conversano, Puglia, is dedicating an exhibition to the art of Marc Chagall, an emotional journey between reality and dream with love as the common thread. Guiding us through this universe of vibrant colors, enchanting landscapes, and fantastic characters are over 100 works, including paintings, drawings, watercolors, and engravings by the Belarusian artist, from the Chagall Foundation and private collections, tracing the painter’s artistic journey from 1925 until his death in 1985. The exhibition spans five sections, with highlights including illustrations of La Fontaine's tales and Russian tradition as well as those inspired by the texts of major French writers he met during his stay in Paris.

Title: Chagall. Sogno d’amore

When: until October 27, 2024

Where: Castello Conti Acquaviva D'Aragona, Bari

Il Vittoriale delle Italiane - Gardone Riviera

As part of the Brescia Photo Festival 2024, ten of Italy’s most talented and renowned photographers - Maria Vittoria Backhaus, Mariagrazia Beruffi, Patrizia Bonanzinga, Giusy Calia, Silvia Camporesi, Alessandra Chemollo, Caterina Matricardi, Antonella Monzoni, Luisa Menazzi Moretti, and Ramona Zordini - were asked to create site-specific works reinterpreting the style, architecture, and environments of the Vittoriale degli Italiani, the famous residence of Gabriele d’Annunzio. This resulted in Il Vittoriale delle Italiane, an exhibition conceived and curated by Renato Corsini, on display until September 30, 2024, inaugurating the new exhibition space under the theater tribunes of the Vittoriale.

Title: Il Vittoriale delle Italiane

When: until September 30, 2024

Where: Vittoriale degli Italiani, Gardone Riviera

Monique Jacot - Venice

Monique Jacot is one of the most important Swiss photographers. After studying at the Vevey School of Arts and Crafts, she started as a photojournalist and then explored various photographic genres, particularly focusing on the condition of women. A new exhibition titled The Figure and Its Doubles, open until September 14 at Palazzetto Bru Zane in Venice, showcases her talent through a carefully selected series of shots in which the use of montage and various mirror effects create a dreamlike and poetic reflection on the human figure and its multiple doubles.

Title: Monique Jacot. The Figure and Its Doubles

When: until September 14, 2024

Where: Palazzetto Bru Zane, Venice

Rosa Genoni - Padua

Seamstress and designer, a pioneer of made in Italy, socialist and proto-feminist, who traveled around Europe to promote an idea of ​​fashion that could be art, culture, and a place of expression for women. Rosa Genoni was an artist whose works are not yet well known to the general public, but they have contributed significantly to our society. The exhibition at the Villa Francesconi Lanza in Padua, titled Storia di un'artista tra moda, cultura e impegno sociale, retraces her story, exploring the fashion and art world and celebrating her commitment to social issues. Open until July 21, the exhibition highlights Genoni's revolutionary vision and the lasting impact of her work.

Title: Rosa Genoni. Storia di un'artista tra moda, cultura e impegno sociale

When: until July 21, 2024

Where: Villa Francesconi Lanza, Padua

Mario Testino - Rome

Mario Testino presents the world premiere of A Beautiful World at Palazzo Bonaparte. This latest project delves into the concepts of individuality, conformity, community, rituals, self-identity, symbols, and belief systems. Since 2017, the photographer has traveled the globe, focusing on the exploration of cultural uniqueness and popular traditions. "During my travels, I realized that when a country loses the connection between its history and traditional attire, something truly precious is lost," said Testino. The result is around 70 large-format photographs depicting the costumes, customs, colors, and traditions of people from 30 countries worldwide.

Title: Mario Testino. A Beautiful World

When: until August 25, 2024

Where: Palazzo Bonaparte, Rome

Riccardo Dalisi - Naples

The Andrea Nuovo Home Gallery in Naples is hosting Un’esca a catenelle until July 27, 2024. This exhibition features 25 works by Riccardo Dalisi, including sculptures, paintings, and drawings on paper, showcasing delicate, poetic figures. Materials such as tin, packaging paper, discarded objects, and more are transformed into horse heads, birds, and abstract creatures, highlighting the themes of reuse, circular economy, and conservation.

Title: Riccardo Dalisi. Un’esca a catenelle

When: until July 27, 2024

Where: Andrea Nuovo Home Gallery, Naples

Almarcegui, Bellantoni, and Grilli - Bergamo

Lara Almarcegui, Elena Bellantoni, and Francesca Grilli are the featured artists in VOCI, an exhibition project curated by Paola Tognon, presented in Bergamo by the association Contemporary Locus, and open until June 30, 2024. The Monastero del Carmine spaces are filled with video installations, photographs, sculptures, and performances, exploring environmental issues, political revolts, and social withdrawal through various styles.

Title: VOCI

When: until June 30, 2024

Where: Monastero del Carmine, Bergamo

Francesco Diluca - Syracuse, Palermo

Rarica is Francesco Diluca's tribute to Sicily. This site-specific project comprises over thirty works, including sculptures, land art installations, and videos, exploring the interdependence between humans and nature. Diluca's works can be admired until September 30, 2024, at two exhibition venues: Castello Maniace di Ortigia in Syracuse and the Botanical Garden of the University of Palermo.

Title: Francesco Diluca. Rarica

When: until September 30, 2024

Where: Castello Maniace di Ortigia, Syracuse, and Botanical Garden of the University of Palermo

Davide Bramante - Syracuse

Davide Bramante showcases a unique series of photographs and clays in his native Syracuse, engaging in a dialogue with Byzantine marbles, works by Antonello da Messina, Aragonese ceramics, and other artworks housed in Palazzo Bellomo. The result is a meta-photographic journey blending past and present into a beautiful exploration.

Title: Davide Bramante Pan_Estesìa. Tutta la bellezza che ho negli occhi

When: until October 31, 2024

Where: Regional Gallery of Palazzo Bellomo, Syracuse

Spazio y Tiempo

The international artist Elizaveta Guseva, known by the pseudonym BETSY, will be exhibiting for the first time in Italy, in Milan, with an exclusive solo show. The exhibition will highlight BETSY's latest collection, consisting of 14 works, including sculptures and paintings. The artistic direction has been entrusted to Alessio Bruno Pomioli. Mystical and mysterious references are the common thread characterizing the artist's works. Each piece is a masterpiece of craftsmanship, created through the meticulous assembly of small handmade elements. This collection aims to provide a new vision of space and time, quantifiable in the matter and life of objects, with their respective meanings that each of them carries from the past to the future, occupying dimensional spaces.

Title: Spazio y Tiempo

When: June 21-22

Where: Alzaia Naviglio Grande 158, Milan