Inside Volumnia gallery: design in a Renaissance church
Piacenza’s Volumnia Gallery is the brainchild of art dealer Enrica De Micheli, who created an art and design hub and restaurant in a Renaissance basilica
Volumnia Gallery is set within the unusual backdrop of the Church of Sant'Agostino in Piacenza, the headquarter of an active gallerist who decided to use it as exhibition space for her projects. Enrica De Micheli, with twenty years of experience in the world of antiques and research design, opened the venue in October 2018 after having won a concession from the city council, with the idea of combining art, culture, and social life.
Volumnia Gallery: from Renaissance Basilica to art destination
‘Volumnia was born out of a passion that stems from my work: I wanted to find an unusual space that would allow me to carry out my vision, free from patterns and restrictions,’ says De Michieli.
'The project is led by a desire to give back because art is the heritage of all. The gallery gives me the chance to express my vision through art, furniture, and objects that I love, while allowing me to keep my passion of collecting alive. The future destination is to continue this wonderful journey.
‘The restoration works uncovered the original Renaissance layout of the Basilica, with its immense spaces, colonnades, plaster and frescos. The exterior courtyard with the adjoining monastery's carpentry workshop was also restored,’ she says.
The location also includes Restaurant IO, created in collaboration with Michelin-starred chef Luigi Taglienti, as ‘a space that can be experienced in continuity with the aesthetic experience of the gallery.’
The gallery’s programme has included exhibitions by artists such as Giorgio Milani, Giuseppe Tirelli, Gianluigi Colin, Carlo Brandelli, Ewa Wilczynski, and emerging talent featured in the Ducato Prize, while in 2019, Volumnia dedicated a major exhibition to Gabriella Crespi, attracting significant attention both nationally and internationally.
The most recent display at Volumnia features a retrospective of Franco Albini’s work, also an opportunity for De Michieli to launch a new publishing project that will include books on leading contemporary artists and modern creatives. ‘Studying is the most important incentive in my job and it drives me on my vision and choices for Volumnia every day,’ she adds. ‘[The exhibition on] Franco Albini was born from the admiration for his work, and going deeper into the many aspects of his figure has been very captivating.’
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De Michieli is planning next year’s displays to coincide with Milan Design Week 2024. ‘I have many dreams, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to see them all come true. One that I particularly cherish is to make an exhibition for a friend, [lighting designer and entrepreneur] Davide Groppi. Davide lives in Piacenza, my hometown and in my opinion, he is an extraordinary summary of passion, dedication, commitment, and precision.’
Volumnia Gallery
Stradone Farnese, 33
29121 Piacenza PC
Italy
Maria Cristina Didero is an independent design curator, consultant and author, who has contributed to many publications over the years. Didero has consulted for companies such as Vitra, Fritz Hansen, Lexus, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Valextra among others. Based in Milan, she works internationally, curating exhibitions for institutions: some of her most recent projects include Nendo: The Space in Between and The Conversation Show at the Holon Design Museum, Israel; FUN HOUSE by Snarkitecture at National Building Museum, Washington D.C.; SuperDesign a project about Italian radical design, NY; Vegan Design, or the Art of Reduction by Erez Nevi and The Fish and The Crowd by Carlo Massoud, Milan. In April 2022 she curated a Mathieu Lehanneur exhibition at the Triennale in Milan called The Inventory of Life, while in July she debuted a project at the MK&G in Hamburg titled Ask Me if I Believe in the Future, alongside a series of ongoing collaborations. She was appointed 2022 Curatorial Director of Design Miami/. She is currently preparing two projects for Milan Design Week 2023.
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