Rhinoceros, a Roman foundation dedicated to art opened by Alda Fendi next to the Arco di Giano, is undergoing a renewal. Two major new developments are on the way: the upcoming exhibitions will be in collaboration with the Brazilian gallery A Gentil Carioca. Additionally, the beloved ristorante Retrobottega, which has won the hearts of many Romans, will open on the terrace. After 10 years, the contemporary gastronomic workshop, conceived by Alessandro Miocchi and Giuseppe Lo Iudice, is leaving via della Stelletta to move within the walls of Rhinoceros. The inauguration of the exhibition by the artist in residence, Miguel Afa, awaits you on March 24.
We interviewed Veronica Siciliani Fendi, daughter of Giovanna Caruso Fendi, already featured in one of our articles as the founder of the experimental space FOROF.
The interview with Veronica Siciliani Fendi
From Galleria Continua to Fondazione Rhinoceros
You left Galleria Continua…
I paused my journey with Galleria Continua after five very intense years, during which I worked mainly on the exhibitions at the Roman location. I followed artists, fairs, and exhibition projects. It was a very formative experience.
Do you think it can be more stimulating on a managerial and curatorial level?
I want to clarify, first of all, that I do not consider myself a curator. I believe the term belongs to those who have built a specific academic and research path; my role is more relational, managerial, and project-oriented.
I studied Economics at Bocconi (hating it!). I then attended a master’s in London dedicated to contemporary art, starting from the Sixties. I do not rule out enrolling in art history at Sapienza in a few years!
In recent months, I have felt that it might be the right time to dedicate myself more to Rhinoceros, a family project. The building was born, in fact, from an idea of my nonna Alda Fendi, together with the architetto Jean Nouvel – his only residential project in Italy. It was conceived as a place where art, hospitality, and dining coexist. It is not a hotel in the traditional sense, but rather a hub in the heart of ancient Rome. It hosts exhibition spaces, the projects of the Fondazione Alda Fendi – Esperimenti, and twenty-five residences designed by Jean Nouvel.
Rhinoceros, hybrid and flexible space
Why this choice?
The thing that made me make the decision was that since 2023 my aunt, Alessia Caruso Fendi, has started an exhibition program on the ground floor of Rhinoceros, inviting international galleries that do not have a stable presence in Italy. Being a job very close to my experience in the gallery, it seemed natural for me to take care of it. For this reason, I started working together with the independent curator Cloé Perrone on the selection of the galleries and the construction of the projects.
This choice also allows me to have more time to follow and support my mother’s independent project, Giovanna Caruso Fendi, FOROF, which creates a dialogue between archaeology and contemporary art in the heart of the Trajan’s Forum.
What strikes you about Rhinoceros?
I appreciate the flexible character of the exhibition space. In a certain sense, it reflects the very nature of Rhinoceros: a “hotel non-hotel”, just as the gallery is a sort of “gallery non-gallery”. This hybrid nature amuses me a lot, especially at a time when the art world is changing: the model of the gallery as a white cube seems to be undergoing a phase of transformation.
The future of Rhinoceros
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Does the hybrid character of Rhinoceros represent its strength?
It is not a traditional gallery with permanently represented artists. The idea is to maintain a space as flexible and dynamic as possible, inviting international galleries and artists to create temporary projects. This model allows for different collaborations, building new dialogues each time, without the need to establish representation relationships or long-term commitments.
The collaborations for two consecutive years with Galerie Kreo, for example, one of the most experimental entities in the field of design, have further opened us to dialogue with design – a great passion of Alessia – and already a protagonist in the palace.
I am intrigued by stepping outside the boundaries of the contemporary art world, which remains a niche where one often finds the same people. Sectors like food and hospitality instead open up a dialogue with different audiences and sensibilities. The possibility of creating connections between these worlds and that of art and doing so in a special place like Rhinoceros, which was born precisely with the idea of relating the different souls of the palace, seemed to me a very stimulating opportunity.
The collaboration with international galleries
What are the constants and the uniqueness of the galleries you have selected?
Every collaboration is unique. The goal is not to replicate a format, but rather to allow each gallery to bring its own identity to Rome. When possible, the project can expand beyond the exhibition space, contaminating other areas of the palace and activating relationships with other urban institutions.
This happened, for example, with the Parisian gallerist Thierry Bigaignon. He constructed a narrative articulated in three “acts,” dedicated to the fundamental elements of photography — light, time, and space. The project also extended to the dark room on the first floor, where a light installation by Olivier Ratsi represented the synthesis of the three elements.
With the French galleries Kreo and Obadia, we activated a dialogue with the French Academy – Villa Medici. Meetings were organized to accompany the exhibition project. The gallery space was also animated by performances and talks. Among these, a conversation between the curator Luca Lo Pinto and the artist Pierre Charpin; performances by artists such as Joris van de Moortel and Vittoria Gerardi.
A Gentil Carioca for Rhinoceros
After many French galleries… why the choice of A Gentil Carioca?
The galleries selected so far do not respond to a precise geographical matrix. The guideline has always been to invite solid international realities, with a coherent program, for the first time in Rome.
In the case of A Gentil Carioca, there was a desire to open up to a cultural context far from ours. We were interested in working with a gallery capable of bringing a non-European perspective to Rome, with a strong and recognizable identity.
A Gentil Carioca is a commercial gallery but founded by artists and with an experimental and recognizable curatorial line. We therefore proposed a formula that went beyond the simple pop-up. We hosted one of their artists and provided a space to produce new works. This way, an opportunity for mutual growth can be built, not just an exhibition parenthesis.
An artist in residence for A Gentil Carioca: Miguel Afa
How long will the collaboration with A Gentil Carioca last?
The collaboration with A Gentil Carioca will begin in March and last until August. It will open with a very significant exhibition. For the first time, we will present the solo exhibition of an artist hosted in one of the apartments. They are producing a new corpus of works specifically for this.
Why the choice of Miguel Afa?
Miguel Afa is a painter who had never been to Rome. The works he is creating are the result of this dialogue between distant cultural contexts.
The first work is inspired by the card players of I Bari by Caravaggio, normally housed at the Kimbell Art Museum in Texas and exceptionally returned to Rome for Caravaggio 2025 at Palazzo Barberini. It is an immediate, almost instinctive homage to the city and its pictorial history.
In the other canvases, references to Roman monumentality — frescoes, columns, architectures — also emerge, always filtered through a deeply personal dimension. Not surprisingly, the colors, fruits, and vegetation of the garden of his home in Rio resurface, like a sensory memory.
In the first days in Rome, he let himself be guided by an enthusiastic curiosity, but also by a strong saudade for Brazil. He was immediately “called” by the Tiber: being near the water, an element linked to the memories of his fishing trips, became for him a natural way to maintain a connection between the two worlds.
It is an important experience for him, but also for the Roman public, who have the opportunity to approach a different visual and cultural sensitivity through a project born in situ and not simply imported.
The collaboration with an excellence of Roman dining: Retrobottega
Why Retrobottega? How did the collaboration start?
I am very happy with this new partner. At the moment in Rome, many five-star hotels with starred restaurants or large international chains are opening. I find that a Roman reality, independent and with a strong identity like Retrobottega fits perfectly with Rhinoceros, which is not a hotel but a hybrid and cultural project.
The social tables and their concept of conviviality evoke the idea that Jean Nouvel had imagined for the terraces: a place of meeting and exchange. Their openness towards the artistic dimension and willingness to actively collaborate is also very beautiful.
Will there be a menu linked to the artistic programming?
They will not propose a tasting menu connected to the artistic path: we do not want to force the dialogue between art and cuisine. We will collaborate when it is relevant. For example, on the occasion of the project with A Gentil Carioca, special evenings or menu insertions with ingredients or spices linked to Brazilian culture may arise. The idea is to create organic, not decorative, connections.
She has collaborated for many years with art magazines such as Artribune, XIBT Contemporary, ArtApp, Insideart and Espoarte, preferring contemporary art in its many facets and media drifts.
