Mosaik

German Academy Rome Villa Massimo, Italy


How lasting is the impact of a stay at Villa Massimo on the artistic creativity of its fellows? Time and again, artistic, documentary and journalistic publications focus on the influence of a Villa Massimo fellowship and its associated stay in Rome on the work of artists who have had the opportunity to spend just under a year there in the Eternal City. Villa Massimo exhibitions and concerts at the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin, annual events by current fellows in Rome as well as the regularly published yearbooks all explain whether and how the location, on the one hand, and the encounters with other fields of art, on the other, impacted each artist’s work. However, what has been missing until now is artistic exploration from a more long-term perspective – Rome’s “echo”, as it were, within the artists’ own work. The concert accompanied by a publication and CD now aims to fill this gap.

Villa Massimo composition fellows will write works specifically for this occasion – which will be premiered in the villa’s Mosaiksaal and performed by the musicians of the LUX:NM – contemporary music ensemble berlin. To complement this, former fellows will compose sound, word and image contributions providing a personal reflection on their year in Italy with the benefit of hindsight. Inspired by the name of the concert hall – the Mosaiksaal at Villa Massimo – this gives rise to a “mosaic”, so to speak, of each individual’s fragmented memories. A CD will then document all these artistic flashbacks complemented by a publication grouping together contributions from former fellows from all art spheres. The unique and special nature of this contemporary music concert, accompanied by contributions from all fields, particularly highlights the interdisciplinary exchanges possible here. The project summarizes the lasting impact of the artistic support provided by Villa Massimo reopened in 2002 and makes it possible to experience Rome and Villa Massimo in the most varied artistic forms. This focus really highlights the concept of sponsorship in a special and unique way.


June 6, 2019
Mosaiksaal, German Academy Rome Villa Massimo, Italy


Further Information:
villamassimo.de