The Factum - A reality of space and time

The exhibition, The Factum - A reality of space and time, curated by Niccolò Lucarelli and promoted by Roma Culture, Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali, will be on display at the Museo Pietro Canonica a Villa Borghese in Rome, from May 5th to June 20th, 2021.

Through the synthesis of light, sound and scent, together with Pietro Canonica’s sculptures, a visual, physical and philosophical experience arises and poses fascinating questions to the visitors: How real are our memories of the past and how do they impact our contemporary reality? Is reality made only from the present moment? And as Paul Watzlawick would ask, “how real is real?”

Inspired by the observations of the psychologist and philosopher Paul Watzlawick on the elements that influence our perception of reality, this is an exhibition not only to be seen but also to be experienced by all the senses. Nitulescu challenges and investigates the way in which the human psyche constructs reality using external senses. This raises questions about the role of perception and its power to shape reality. A sensorial dialogue arises between the many scented plaster casts of the artist’s own ear and the visitors’ interpretation of the space. The master perfumer, Geza Schön, created the earthy essence specifically for this exhibition.

The sound, the light and the scent, are intangible materialities, which reshape the human visitors’ perception of the museum and its artworks. At the same time, the visitor is offered a chance to reimagine the space through this experience. In modern times, the theory of this of this process is best known through Paul Watzlawick’s writing. However, it is an idea that stems from Donatello’s times, one of the very first artists who altered reality through perspective deceptions, as a metaphor for peoples’ ability to perceive things according to their own critical mind.

Filled with sound, immersed in scent and exposed to colored light, the museum changes its “appearance”. Visitors are transported by the artist into a new dimension where rationality ends and the unconscious mind takes over. The exhibition is conceived as a reflection on reality, which is not an independent variable and is influenced by the external stimuli we process.

The exhibition is promoted by Roma Culture and Soprintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali, under the patronage of the Romanian Embassy in Italy, Accademia Angelico Costantiniana and Nicola Ghiuselev Foundation. It is generously supported by the Romanian Cultural Institute and the Romanian Academy in Rome, Simply One Solution, Alan Advantage srl, a consulting firm offering strategic services for the adoption of AI technologies and innovative solutions, Signal srl, a Tuscan graphic design and advertising company, Copia Sprint 2, and Daring House for technical and musical production..

Maria Nitulescu is an interdisciplinary artist with multidisciplinary subjects. Nitulescu’s projects start with research as a tool for articulating or deconstructing ideas. Her ar¬tistic practice originates in philosophical investigations of personal and collective experiences, memory, identity and language. She has a deep rooted interest in sensory experiences and olfactory art, and uses different me¬ans of expression such as printing, painting, writing, photography and installation.
Nitulescu studied at the National University of Arts in Bucharest, the Academy of Fine Arts Brera, Milan and at the Institute for Art in Context, Berlin University of the Arts (UdK). Since 2013, she has been living and working in Berlin.

Niccolò Lucarelli is an independent curator and art critic. He has a degree in International Studies and is a contributing editor to several magazines, including Artribune and ArtsLife. He also works as a military history essayist for the Italian Army General Staff and has published some military history books.