On Monday, September 28, Tuesday, September 29, and Wednesday, September 30, Galleria Borghese expands the narrative of the exhibition Metamorphoses. Ovid and the Arts<\/i> beyond the walls of the exhibition rooms, bringing Ovid’s poetry to the heart of the Villa Borghese gardens.<\/p>\n
For three evenings, at 8:00 PM and 9:15 PM, the garden behind the Palazzina will be transformed into a grand open-air theater to host Metamorphoses<\/i>, an immersive, site-specific performance created and directed by Giuliano Peparini\u2014internationally renowned director and artistic director\u2014and produced and created by INDA (National Institute of Ancient Drama).<\/p>\n
On the occasion of these three evenings, Galleria Borghese will be exceptionally open to the public, offering visitors the chance to tour the museum during evening hours until 10:00 PM. A combined ticket will be available to attend the performance and access the collections<\/strong>. This is a special opportunity to experience the museum in a new dimension and to discover the deep dialogue between the works in the collection, the exhibition dedicated to Ovid, and the performance that renews its story through contemporary expression.<\/p>\n This initiative represents one of the most extraordinary highlights of the activity program accompanying Metamorphoses. Ovid and the Arts<\/i>: talks, in-depth discussions, performances, mediation paths, and projects aimed at diverse audiences have all contributed to building an articulated and participatory cultural experience capable of addressing Ovid’s work through different perspectives and artistic languages. It is precisely at Galleria Borghese that the visionary power of the Metamorphoses<\/i> finds one of its highest artistic expressions: the stories narrated by the Latin poet come alive in the sculptures and masterpieces of the collection, where the theme of transformation has always been at the core of some of the most celebrated works preserved in the museum.<\/p>\n Specifically designed for the historic spaces of Villa Borghese, Giuliano Peparini’s performance goes beyond the boundaries of traditional theatrical representation to create an immersive experience interweaving theater, dance, music, and video mapping.<\/strong> The audience is guided along a journey in which the landscape is not merely a background, but an integral part of the stage. Paths, trees, and statues transform into elements of an ever-evolving set design, creating an environment where Ovid’s figures and stories seem to emerge directly from nature. Daphne relives her famous transformation into a laurel tree in an intimate, evocative relationship with the garden’s vegetation. Narcissus brings the theme of identity and reflection to the stage through movement, the body, and visual images. Orpheus and Eurydice evoke the bond between love and loss, giving life to a scenic score of powerful emotional intensity. Around them, other protagonists of the poem take shape, appearing and disappearing within the space to lead spectators through a seamless, fluid narrative. The metamorphoses imagined by Ovid thus seem to take place right before the audience’s eyes in an experience where art, nature, and architecture merge into a single narrative space.<\/p>\n