Arco presents Luce, the group exhibition curated by Diana Segantini promoted by the Augusto Rancilio Foundation from 19 April to 5 July at Villa Arconati. The Arco art promotion platform, one year after its birth and after the significant response of the last edition, therefore proposes a path dedicated to the theme of light.
Light, whether natural or artificial, is a physical phenomenon, a cultural metaphor, it is matter and energy: in the spaces of Villa Arconati it becomes a generative element of the path. Through a selection of works that deal directly with the spaces of the Villa, the exhibition investigates light in its multiple dimensions. In this edition, the project evolves towards a more concentrated and rigorous curatorial approach that sees the participation of artists and galleries that adhere to a path that includes the rooms of the exhibition wing on the ground floor and some areas of the garden of the building.
The distribution therefore makes it possible to create a more concentrated and intense visit, where the relationship between the contemporary and Baroque architecture can be more intimate and decisive. Among the artists involved are Melanie Sterba, Conor McCreedy, Nieves Niedauer and Max Zuber.
To complete the cultural offer, a program has been designed to deepen the theme of light through different languages and moments. Art Talks On Light includes conversations with artists, curators and scholars, guided sunset tours and evening events in the historic park that will cover the duration of the exhibition.
Arco: a research platform on contemporary art
With these new energies, ARCO reaffirms its presence capable of relating the historical context with the contemporary, re-proposing itself as a cultural movement that reflects on contemporary devices. By creating a bridge between the collaboration and visibility of the different figures who animate the art system, Arco provides prestigious scenarios, to offer opportunities for meeting and research between interlocutors linked to the art system, from universities to the market, from artistic experimentation to theoretical reflection. The choice of the name Arch is symbolic, thanks to the metaphor that connects, like a bridge, tradition and innovation, where the architectural element is strongly symbolic.
A special thanks goes to the galleries that have once again this year placed their trust in the project and made it possible, together with the Augusto Rancilio Foundation and Segantini Unlimited, to carry out this second edition. These include PS Gallery, Monica de Cardenas Gallery, Francesca Minini, Wizard Galeria, NP Art Lab, Kromya Gallery.
Diana Segantini
She is an exhibition curator and independent producer of films and cultural events.
Since 2009, with his agency Segantini Unlimited, he has managed various projects in the fields of culture, art, sustainability, communication and deals with foundations and philanthropic operations. She was a delegate for the International Red Cross from 2000 to 2004 and since 2007 for the World Ethics Foundation of the theologian Hans Küng in the field of intercultural and interreligious dialogue. From 2013 to 2018 she was the head of the Swiss Radio and Television Culture Department RSI and a member of the Board of Directors. In 2019, she was appointed Director for Culture and Cultural Heritage in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Among the current assignments, she is currently VIP Manager of the Art Basel circuit, Co-Director of the St. Moritz Art Film Festival, she is in the team of the Middle East Mediterranean Summer School of the University of Lugano, she collaborates with SKIRA Editore and with AEON Strategy in the Middle East. He is a member of various Board of Trustees, including Engadine Art Talks, the Swiss Institute of Art Studies SIK-ISEA, the Foundation for Culture Graubünden and the Executive Master in Art Market Studies at the University of Zurich. Finally, he manages the family heritage of the painters Giovanni and Gottardo Segantini.
Villa Arconati and Augusto Rancilio Foundation
Located in the green heart of the Groane Park, just 10 km from the center of Milan, Villa Arconati is one of the most important examples of a villa of delight of the Milanese aristocracy. Built on the direct study of twelve Codices by Leonardo da Vinci - including the Atlantic - kept here until 1637, it is a palace of ten thousand square meters and a monumental park of twelve hectares, which is today one of the very few examples of Italian and French gardens in Lombardy. Among its treasures are the so-called Pompey the Great, one of the largest Roman statues in all of northern Italy; one of the very few frescoes by the Galliari brothers, the set designers who inaugurated La Scala in Milan and a Hall of Mirrors by the Lombard Baroque. The Augusto Rancilio Foundation, the non-profit cultural institution that owns the property, has been carrying out a project for the recovery and enhancement of Villa Arconati since the early 2000s, promoting and supporting actions in the cultural, artistic and social fields.
Information
Arco Luce – Inside Out
Curated by Diana Segantini
From 19 April to 5 July 2026, every Sunday during the opening hours of Villa Arconati
Access to the exhibition is free, upon purchase of the entrance ticket to Villa Arconati
Tel. 023502217 or info@fondazioneaugustorancilio.com
Press Office
Piera Cristiani +393394560012
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