When “VENUS – Valentino Garavani through the eyes of Joana Vasconcelos” opens its doors at PM23 in Rome, it does more than unveil an exhibition—it proposes a living dialogue between fashion, contemporary art, and collective participation. Presented by the Fondazione Valentino Garavani e Giancarlo Giammetti, the show transforms more than 1,000 square meters at Piazza Mignanelli 23 into a poetic environment where couture heritage meets the radical imagination of Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos.
The exhibition marks the second major presentation at PM23, the cultural space inaugurated by Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti to foster new interpretations of creativity across disciplines. Here, Vasconcelos is granted carte blanche—an invitation she answers with twelve artworks, including monumental installations and new site-specific works, placed in direct conversation with 33 couture creations drawn from the Valentino archive and curated by Pamela Golbin. The result is immersive, theatrical, and deeply human: a meditation on femininity, craft, and the enduring power of beauty as a social force.
“VENUS was born from the desire to celebrate creativity in all its forms, as a bridge between art, fashion, and community.”
— Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti
A Monumental Dialogue Between Couture and Contemporary Art
Giancarlo Giammetti, Courtesy of FVG Services.
Joana Vasconcelos, photo by Michele Colasuonno, Courtesy of FVG Services.
At the heart of the exhibition stands Valkyrie VENUS, a thirteen-meter-long sculptural presence conceived specifically for PM23. Originating in the apsidal hall, the work unfolds outward, its crocheted limbs extending through the space as if embracing the surrounding galleries. Developed through an in-depth study of Valentino Garavani’s aesthetic codes, the Valkyrie is both guardian and mirror—an abstract embodiment of contemporary female identity, strength, and multiplicity.
This central work acts as a lens through which the exhibition is experienced. Eight Valentino dresses anchor the sculpture’s form, transforming couture into architecture and movement. Vasconcelos’s signature language—domestic materials elevated to monumental scale—creates a striking tension with the refinement of haute couture. Crochet, iron, fabric, and ornament become vehicles of storytelling, recasting luxury as something tactile, communal, and emotionally resonant.
Courtesy of FVG Services.
Throughout the galleries, Vasconcelos’s works are paired with couture garments in carefully choreographed rooms. Venus, The Painting from her Crochet Paintings series translates textile into painterly surface, drawing inspiration from a Josef Hoffmann motif featured in a Valentino Haute Couture Fall–Winter 1989–90 design. Elsewhere, Strangers in the Night and Full Steam Ahead (Red) #1 explore female archetypes and transformation, juxtaposed with feathered cocktail dresses and sequined evening gowns that underscore Valentino’s mastery of silhouette and drama.
Perhaps most emblematic is Marilyn, in which pots and lids are transformed into towering high-heeled shoes. The work humorously yet pointedly overturns stereotypes, celebrating the invisible labor traditionally assigned to women. Surrounding it, silver-toned couture dresses from the late 1990s shimmer in silk, satin, and organza—an elegant counterpoint to the industrial materials reimagined by the artist.
VENUS as a Social and Collective Artwork
Photo by Michele Colasuonno, Courtesy of FVG Services.
Courtesy of FVG Services.
What distinguishes “VENUS” is not only its visual impact but its profound social dimension. Conceived and produced by Vasconcelos’s atelier in Lisbon, the Valkyrie’s crocheted “second skin” is the result of an ambitious participatory project rooted in the city of Rome. Over 756 hours of workshops, more than 200 participants—students, patients, detainees, and community members—contributed handmade crochet modules that were later assembled into the final sculpture.
Workshops unfolded across the city, from historic neighborhoods to peripheral districts, engaging partner organizations such as the Casa Circondariale Femminile di Rebibbia, Bambino Gesù Paediatric Hospital, Differenza Donna, and INTERSOS. Higher education institutions, including NABA Rome and Accademia di Costume & Moda, involved students in research and visual communication projects, encouraging new reflections on Valentino’s codes and the social value of fashion.
This collective effort transforms Valkyrie VENUS into what the Foundation defines as a “social artwork”—one that embodies care, collaboration, and empowerment. Manual labor becomes an act of resistance and affirmation, elevating craft to a shared cultural language that bridges art, fashion, and lived experience.
Photo by Michele Colasuonno, Courtesy of FVG Services.
“Through ‘VENUS,’ we celebrate not only art and fashion, but also the communities, people, and places that made this project possible.”
The exhibition’s final rooms culminate in Garden of Eden, an immersive environment where archetypes—from the Valkyrie and Cinderella to the Femme Fatale—coexist within a mythic narrative. Eight iconic black Valentino dresses, rich with tulle, lace, crystals, and embroidery, anchor the space, reinforcing the timeless allure of couture while underscoring its capacity for reinvention.
Adding another layer is Trame #73, a documentary by filmmaker Daniele Luchetti, presented within the exhibition. Featuring testimonies from participants and the artist herself, Joana Vasconcelos, the film captures the human story behind the project, emphasizing creativity as a tool for transformation, inclusion, and shared meaning.
Ultimately, “VENUS” at PM23 is a testament to the enduring relevance of Valentino Garavani’s vision when viewed through a contemporary, socially engaged lens. By weaving together couture, contemporary art, and collective participation, the exhibition affirms beauty not as a static ideal, but as a living force—capable of inspiring new visions, strengthening communities, and leaving a lasting imprint on the cultural fabric of Rome and beyond.
Courtesy of FVG Services.
