Nuria Mora — Cantarella: site‑specific installation at the Veneranda

Nuria Mora — Cantarella: site‑specific installation at the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana

For Milano Art Week and miart 2026, Spanish artist Nuria Mora presents Cantarella, conceived specifically for the Sala del Foro Romano at the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana. The project occupies the historic room with a suspended atmosphere where painting, architecture and memory enter an organic dialogue.

The work investigates representations of female power and the historical framing of femininity. The title evokes the Renaissance legend of a poison and functions as a metaphor for the boundary between appearance and truth — between beauty and danger. The narrative evokes Lucrezia Borgia in a poetic scenario that blends myth, memory and materiality.

The installation covers the entire hall and combines large canvases in acrylic, oil and sand on linen with mural interventions, velvet drapes and textile surfaces that create theatrical screens. Carefully designed, low-angle lighting enhances textures; three-dimensional elements such as glazed ceramics and carpets extend the painting into space, making the whole a fully immersive experience.

• When: 3 April 2026 — 18 April 2026 (opening 7 April 2026, 4:00 pm)
• Where: Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana — Sala del Foro Romano, Piazza San Sepolcro 1, Milan
• Admission: free
• Opening hours: Mon, Tue, Thu–Sun 10:00–17:30 (last entry); closed on Wednesdays
• Curators: Gianluca Ranzi and Elisabetta Mero
• Organiser and coordination: Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana; general coordination by Martina Corbetta
• Info & contacts: +39 340 6701854 (Elisabetta Mero); +39 339 2005291 (Martina Corbetta)

Visitor tip: allow time to perceive the dialogue between the materials and the architectural space. The installation is designed for slow looking — attention to surfaces, grazing light and the sculptural elements will deepen the experience. Cantarella proposes a contemporary fable that invites reflection rather than definitive reinterpretation of history.