In the solemn rhythm of Piazza Mignanelli – the intimate Roman threshold that borders Piazza di Spagna and preserves the history of Valentino Garavani – PM23 presents a new chapter in the journey imagined by Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti, an expression of the artistic and cultural experience of their Foundation and the starting point of a renewed commitment: to give back to the city an exhibition space dedicated to art, fashion and culture, seen as tools for dialogue, growth, and social progress. A place, both physical and ideal, where beauty is not a static concept but a driving force, capable of generating meaning and transformation. Dense with meaning and profoundly evocative, the exhibition offers a non-linear journey, combining representative works by Joana Vasconcelos with surprising new site-specific pieces inspired by Valentino Garavani’s legacy.

“The exhibition is a dialogue. My work and Valentino Garavani’s speak to each other until they converge in a final, almost suspended moment. Mr. Valentino believes deeply in beauty – and so do I. Because beauty generates harmony, and harmony bears the promise of peace and social justice, a promise the world urgently needs today.” - Joana Vasconcelos

Through abstraction, the artist reinterprets clothing, shapes, and textile surfaces, giving life to the Valkyrie VENUS – a body of work that does not imitate, but rather engages with haute couture as a discipline of majestic beauty and masterful, hieratic excellence. 

Vasconcelos presents a monumental work which, intertwining thousands of decorative elements, gives life to a contemporary and abstract heroine, a symbol of power, protection and resilience. VENUS thus becomes an ambassador and interpreter of our time, an expression of a powerful and collaborative artisanal intelligence, of rediscovered identity, redemption, and of social vitality for the most vulnerable people in today’s world.

Conceived by the artist and created by thousands of hands – thanks to the collaboration between the Fondazione Valentino Garavani e Giancarlo Giammetti | PM23 and ten notable partners –, the work was created by the hands of over one hundred students from the Arts and Fashion departments of the NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, Campus di Roma, the Accademia di Costume e Moda, and the Maiani Accademia Moda; the hands of young patients at the Ospedale Bambino Gesù and their families; the hands of patients at the end of life at the Gemelli Medical Center; the hands of women from the INTERSOS refugee shelters and the Differenza Donna shelter for victims of violence; and the hands of female inmates at the Casa Circondariale del Carcere di Rebibbia, involved thanks to the partnership with the Fondazione Severino.

VENUS, the title given to the Valkyrie and thus to the entire exhibition, is therefore the result of an artistic dialogue, a massive and ambitious participatory art project: 756 hours of workshops, over 200 participants of all ages, and over 200 kg of crocheted pieces made by participants in every corner of the city – from the center to the outskirts – and sent to the artist’s studio in Lisbon. A flow that converges in a single, collective artistic gesture, a powerful symbol of the transmission of know-how and tradition, transformed into a vehicle for empowerment and emancipation, shared care, and individual and collective resistance: art as an agent of change, a tool for re-signification, education and solidarity. A participatory project in the broadest sense, capable of generating new communities not only within individual contexts but also through cross-fertilization with external realities. Students from the Academies, in addition to participating in their own workshops, were able to enrich the experience by collaborating at the other partners’ locations, crossing places and stories, giving rise to unexpected, meaningful connections.

 

With this project, PM23 stands as a living testament to the belief that beauty is not only to be contemplated, but to be shared: a place where art and fashion meet to generate culture, inspire dialogue, and open new horizons for collective vision.

 

ACCESS FOR VISITORS WITH DISABILITIES

Visitors with disabilities certified up to 99% are entitled to a reduced ticket, without the right to a companion. An official disability certificate stating the declared percentage is required; no other documentation will be accepted.
Tickets may be purchased online via the website or at the PM23 ticket office, subject to availability.

Visitors with 100% certified disability with the right to a companion are entitled to a reduced ticket, upon presentation of an official disability certificate confirming the declared percentage (no other documentation will be accepted).
Tickets may be purchased online or at the PM23 ticket office, subject to availability.

Free admission for the companion is granted only in cases of 100% disability with the right to accompaniment. The companion ticket must be collected on the day of the visit, prior to entry and within the booked time slot, upon presentation of the disabled visitor’s ticket and disability certificate.

 

SCHOOLS

Guided school visits cannot be conducted for groups larger than 10 participants. Larger groups must be divided and scheduled across different time slots.
This requirement is due to the characteristics of the exhibition spaces, which do not allow large groups to visit the galleries simultaneously while following a guided explanation.

One free accompanying adult is granted for every 10 paying students.

Groups exceeding 10 participants
Given the exhibition layout and visitor experience, groups larger than 10 are encouraged to visit independently during available time slots. The exhibition provides supporting materials (brochures and digital guides) that allow for a complete understanding of the content.
This recommendation is also due to spatial constraints, which do not permit large groups to attend guided tours simultaneously within the exhibition areas.