by Nina Vaclavikova
Interviews: Riccardo Rizzetto – curator of the exhibition La Boemia sta sul mare; Marlene Elvira Steinz – curator of the satellite project Die Boheme liegt am Meer
The fifth edition of the Biennale Internazionale Donna was presented on Wednesday at Sala Luttazzi, located in Magazzino 26 at Porto Vecchio-Porto Vivo, with Giorgio Rossi, the city’s councilor for Culture and Tourism, attending the press conference.
The event featured remarks from Šeherzada Ahmetović, president of the Biennale Internazionale Donna Association, curator Riccardo Rizzetto, and Marlene Elvira Steinz, curator of the biennale’s satellite project.
Titled “La Boemia sta sul mare — Esercitare discontinuità, immaginare altrimenti” (“Bohemia by the Sea — Practicing Discontinuity, Imagining Otherwise”), the exhibition will run from March 28 to May 2, 2026, in the Nathan and Sbisà halls of Magazzino 26. Visiting hours are Thursdays, Sundays, and holidays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
A new feature this year is the Austrian Pavilion, a satellite project called “Die Boheme liegt am Meer — Diskontinuität praktizieren, anders denken,” hosted at the Art Gallery + Spazio O2 in Porto Piccolo, Sistiana, running concurrently with the main exhibition.
During the press conference, Rossi described Magazzino 26 as a “permanent cultural hub” and encouraged young attendees to combine vision and pragmatism to shape the future. Highlighting the historical development of Porto Vecchio, completed in eight years, he emphasized long-term planning and practical execution, noting the Biennale’s growing international profile.
Since its inception, the Biennale has sought to provide a space where contemporary artistic practices, theoretical research, and international perspectives converge. “This year represents a moment of evolution and a challenge for us,” said Ahmetović. “We have raised the bar with a satellite project linking Porto Vecchio and Porto Piccolo, connecting two histories, one old and one new, through art and culture.”
The biennale approaches the concept of “woman” not as a fixed identity or descriptive category but as a critical field where cultural expectations, political pressures, and social dynamics intersect. It aims to explore how the term circulates, the possibilities it opens or limits, and its ongoing transformation in contemporary discourse.
The exhibition includes works by Francesca Centonze, Luisa Elia, Arianna Giorgi, Silvia Giordani, Francesca Pionati, Marta Ravasi, Laura Russell, Vittoria Serena (Claudia Zaggia), Andrea Solaja, Sarah Staton, Vivianne van Singer, Sarah Kate Wilson, and Alba Zari. Artists were selected through a public call evaluated by an independent jury for alignment with the Biennale’s themes and concerns.
Other participants include Gaia Adducchio, Karina Akopyan, Aliteia (Alice Babolin), Anastasiia Artiukhina, Beatrice Bartolozzi, Franca Bertani, Letizia Carattini, Chiara Anna Colombo, Marina Comerio, Tiziana Contu, Martina Dalla Stella, Marie José D’Aprile, Marija Delić, Donatella Donatelli, Elisabetta Eleutieri Serpieri, Fabiola Faidiga, Marica Fasoli, Kikki Ghezzi, Monica Gorini, Valentina Grilli, Barbara Grossato, Kerry-Jane Lowery, Paulina Jazvić, Sofia MacGregor Oettler, Micol Magni, Eliana Marinari, Pamela Martinez Rod, Maria Cristina Marzola, Viviana Rasulo, Giorgia Razzetta, Ann Russell, Claudia Villani, and Ana Vivoda.
A central component of the exhibition is A Library for the Time Being, a temporary library conceived as a living, interactive space. Active only during the Biennale, it is designed to circulate knowledge through use, encounter, and exchange rather than preservation, emphasizing relational and evolving engagement over accumulation.
The Austrian Pavilion, curated by Marlene Elvira Steinz, represents the first independent satellite within the Biennale. It emphasizes proximity and distance, autonomy and dialogue, and explores contemporary female artistic practices in relation to international contexts. Works include installations, sculpture, sound, video, and performance, with a focus on light, fragility, and desire as active forces. Participating Austrian artists include Noémi Kiss, Billi Thanner, ISA Stein, Julia Bugram, Julia Dorninger, Marion Kilianowitsch, Gabriele Kutschera, Dora Mai, Teresa Maria von Matthey, Viktoria Morgenstern, Lea Radatz, Michaela Schwarz-Weismann, Birgit Schweiger, Hannah Stippl, and Heike Stuckstedde.
Both the main exhibition and the satellite project aim to create a unified curatorial ecosystem, combining literary and symbolic themes with experiential and sensory exploration. The Biennale’s catalog, edited by Antonella Trotta, accompanies the exhibition, reflecting on the critical and fluid nature of the term “woman” while complementing the interactive library.
The exhibitions will open with separate events on March 27: at 11 a.m. at the Art Gallery in Porto Piccolo and at 4:30 p.m. at Magazzino 26 in Porto Vecchio-Porto Vivo.
