Until April 30, 2025, the 16th-century Palazzo Boncompagni in Bologna, located just a few minutes from Locanda dell’Orsa, hosts Alfredo Pirri. Ritratto di Palazzo, an exhibition curated by Lorenzo Balbi and Silvia Evangelisti. The show brings together around forty works – including installations, sculptures, drawings, models, and sketches – all in close dialogue with the frescoed rooms and the rich history of the palace, once the residence of Pope Gregory XIII and birthplace of the Gregorian calendar.
The exhibition opens in the Papal Audience Hall with Passi, an installation made of shattered mirrors that visitors are invited to walk on, turning movement into experience. Reflections and transparencies reverse perception: the viewer becomes an integral part of the work, a co-author of the “portrait” of the palace itself. In the adjacent rooms, preparatory sketches, watercolors, and panels reveal the genesis of the artworks. In the spacious loggia, pieces like Compagni e Angeli and Le jardin féerique interact with light and materials, creating a delicate harmony between space and color.
The visit concludes with the video installation Ritratto di Palazzo con signora, documenting the performance in which the mirrored floor was created in collaboration with the lady of the house, Paola Pizzighini Benelli.
This is an immersive experience that blends contemporary art with historic architecture, offering a fresh and participatory perspective on the city’s cultural heritage—highly recommended to all our guests
