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Frida and "Muse ribelli" exhibition, exploring Women, Image and Power in the History of Art
22 July 2026
The exhibition "Muse Ribelli. Donne, immagine, potere nella storia dell'arte" (Rebellious Muses: Women, Image and Power in the History of Art) emerged from the need to critically examine the construction of the female image in the history of Western art, from Renaissance onwards.
This is a major exhibition curated by the art historian Consuelo Lollobrigida, which, through more than sixty works – including paintings, photographs, installations and videos – invites reflection on the relationship between images, identity and power. The project spans five centuries of art history, from the Renaissance to the present day, bringing together artists who have helped to construct, challenge and transform the representation of the feminine in culture.
Rather than simply an exhibition dedicated to women artists, "Muse Ribelli" is an exploration of the power of images. The exhibition takes visitors on a journey from traditional archetypes – the mother, the saint, the muse, the heroine – to contemporary works exploring the body, identity and self-determination, demonstrating how each image helps to shape cultural models, power relations and collective memory.
The exhibition brings together works from museums, archives and prestigious public and private collections, creating a unique dialogue between leading figures in the history of European art such as Sofonisba Anguissola, Lavinia Fontana, Artemisia Gentileschi, Plautilla Nelli, Elisabetta Sirani, Virginia da Vezzo and Rosalba Carriera, and key figures in contemporary artistic expression such as Ketty La Rocca, Dadamaino, Vanessa Beecroft, Shirin Neshat, Elisabetta Di Sopra and Alice Pasquini.
The communication campaign, too, stems from the same line of thinking that runs through the entire exhibition project. The exhibition’s visual identity was developed through a creative process that utilised generative artificial intelligence tools to rework portraits, self-portraits and photographs of the artists featured in the exhibition. The result is a previously unseen group portrait, composed of figures that do not represent real people but symbolically evoke five centuries of women’s art history. The nine women depicted share the same space and gaze towards a single horizon, becoming a metaphor for a collective memory that spans eras, artistic languages and generations. The use of artificial intelligence is not intended to be a spectacle, but rather forms an integral part of the reflection proposed by the exhibition: whilst the exhibition explores how images have shaped female identity over time, the campaign invites visitors to question the role of new technologies in shaping the contemporary imagination.
Artificial intelligence also enhances the visitor experience. In the exhibition, visitors will be greeted by an interactive installation dedicated to Frida Kahlo. Simply saying ‘Hello Frida!’ will start a conversation with the artist: visitors will be able to ask her questions about her life, her artistic output, the loves that shaped her existence, the physical pain that ran through her entire life story, and the meaning behind her works. The installation, developed using artificial intelligence tools, is not intended to replace the historical narrative, but to offer a new way of engaging with one of the most iconic figures in 20th-century art, transforming visitors’ first encounter with the exhibition into an experience of dialogue and participation.
Mondovì - Cuneo, Polo Espositivo Chiesa di Santo Stefano
21/07-04/10/2026
Organized by Associazione Culturale Be Local ETS
Find out more at this link and at the website below.
