curated by Andrea Guastella and Studio M’arte
Acquario Romano – Casa dell’Architettura
11 October – 16 November 2025
Opening: 11 October, 5:00 PM
Mon–Sat 10:00 AM–7:00 PM | free admission
The Casa dell’Architettura at the monumental complex of the Acquario Romano presents “Hortus”, a sculpture exhibition curated by Andrea Guastella and Studio M’arte, which concludes the cycle “Featuring the Sculpture Habitat”, already hosted in previous editions at the same venue. The exhibition stems from the desire to investigate the relevance of sculpture today through dialogue with architecture and reflection on the relationship between art, matter, and space.
“Hortus” focuses on the theme of the *locus conclusus*, the garden, understood as an intimate and controlled space where nature is present yet regulated, and where sculpture serves as a bridge between nature and architecture. The invited artists address the theme through different languages and sensibilities:
Davide Dormino (Udine, 1973) lives and works in Rome. Sculptor and teacher, his research is expressed through materials such as marble, bronze, and iron, with particular attention to monumentality and the civic sense of art. Among his best-known works is the travelling sculpture “Anything to Say?”, dedicated to courage and freedom of information, exhibited in numerous European cities.
Alessia Forconi (Rome, 1975) trained between Rome and Carrara. Her sculpture, often in marble, explores the female figure as a symbol of strength and rebirth, as in the recent “Monumento alla Donna della Rinascita del Cassinate”. She teaches modelling and takes part in numerous exhibitions and public art projects.
Fulvio Merolli (Marino, 1975) studied between Rome and Carrara, where he collaborated with important international artists. Founder of the M’arte Scultura workshop, his research focuses on the relationship between body, matter, and space, with particular attention to public art and the collective dimension of artistic practice.
Stefania Pennacchio (Varese, 1969) lives and works between Calabria and Sicily. Sculptor and ceramist, she combines tradition and innovation, with a poetics that draws on Mediterranean archetypes and female culture. Her works, often in raku ceramics, have been exhibited in museums and archaeological parks, including the Park of Naxos and the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum.
Giacomo Rizzo (Palermo, 1977) is a Professor of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Palermo. His poetics arises from dialogue with nature and the territory, with works that reflect on the relationship between humans and the environment. He has created installations in Italy and abroad, including the first underwater sculpture in the marine reserve of Ustica and works for international museums.
The exhibition will open on Saturday 11 October at 5:00 PM in the garden of the Acquario Romano and will remain open every day except Sunday from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM until 16 November 2025.
Admission is free.
At 6:00 PM, in the Central Hall of the Acquario, the volume Featuring The Sculpture Habitat will be presented, curated by Andrea Guastella and Fulvio Merolli, published by Edizioni della Casa dell’Architettura di Roma. The book, in Italian and English editions, is the annotated catalogue of the three editions (2022, 2023, and 2024) of the exhibition “Featuring The Sculpture Habitat” and includes reproductions of the installations, introductory texts for each exhibition, and a specific text for each of the works on display, edited by Andrea Guastella. Also included, in addition to the institutional texts of the outgoing President of the OAR, the Sole Director of the Acquario Romano, and the President of the Aurea Phoenix APS Association, promoter of the initiative, are two introductory texts by the curators.
The presentation will feature interventions by the curators and other experts in the field, testimonies from the guest artists, and will be an opportunity to present the link between the outgoing project “Featuring” and the new project “Hortus”. During the evening, the curators of the exhibition and the Order of Architects of Rome will present emerging artist Francesco Pennacchi with the “Semen” award for his original interpretation of classical sculpture archetypes on the occasion of two recent exhibitions: the “Fuori Infiorata” in Noto and the public art exhibition “The Journey” in Gallicano del Lazio.
