WITHIN GOLD
183 Artists and Poets at the First International Contemporary Art Biennial at Castello Colonna, Genazzano
17–25 October 2026 – Castello Colonna, Genazzano (Rome, Italy)
The 1st International Contemporary Art Biennial “Within Gold” opens on 17 October in the historic halls of Castello Colonna in Genazzano. Conceived and organised by the Studio 5 Progetto Creativo Cultural Association, based in Naples, in collaboration with the Municipality of Genazzano, the Biennial is curated by Doriana Vriale.
The event brings together 183 participants, including visual artists and poets, in an exhibition spanning painting, sculpture, photography, graphic arts, video art, installation and poetry. A plurality of languages and sensibilities comes together around an ancient yet ever-relevant theme, one that can take on different meanings depending on the perspective of each participant.
Within Gold: Light, Memory and Transformation
Throughout the history of art and civilisation, gold has embodied light, sacredness, knowledge, power and preciousness. It is the colour of the divine and the eternal, as well as a symbol of beauty, harmony and prosperity. On a more intimate level, it can evoke memory, rebirth, awareness and transformation: the possibility that something new may emerge from the experiences we have lived through.
This wealth of meanings lies at the heart of the Biennial. Artists are invited to engage freely with the theme, interpreting it through their individual research, materials and expressive languages. Gold can become a luminous presence, a material, a spiritual aspiration, a reflection on the value of things, or a glimmer of hope that endures even in darkness.
The participation of 55 poets further expands the project, bringing the written word into dialogue with the visual arts. Poetry offers a different approach to the theme, through images, emotions and meanings that unfold at the intersection of language and experience.
The Biennial also introduces the Critics’ Award for Poetry, dedicated to authors who interpret the theme of gold with originality, sensitivity and expressive depth. The poetry award will be assessed and presented by Annamaria Ghedina, known as Lady Ghost, writer, journalist and editor-in-chief of the periodical Lo Strillo, and Antonio D’Addio, literature teacher, journalist and television presenter.
Participating Visual Artists
The visual arts section encompasses painting, sculpture, photography, graphic arts, video art and installation, bringing together Italian and international artists.
List of participating artists:
Alberto Agrusa, Amata, Armando Armari, Carolina Art Design, Rolando Attanasio, Caterina Baccari, Salvatore Baiano, Antonio Bangrazzi, Elena Barazbayeva, Lia Barbara, Claudio Barone, Daniela Bazac, Roberto Bellucci, Maria Benedettini, Francesco Biondo, Vania Bizzi, Morena Bompadre, Valentina Bongiorno, Anna Bottini, Mario Bova, Laura Braghese, Irma Martina Cabano, Enrico Caiffe, Antonia Calianno – Muscèt, Marcella Carbonaro, Diego Catanzano, Roberta Catanzano, Sabrina Cecora, Daniele Chiacchiararelli, Andrea Chialastri, Roberta Chialastri, Patrizia Ciccarelli, Maria Cristina Consoli, Luciano Conti, Tiziana Corvino, Maria Coscia, Claudia Covino, Franco Crocco, Francesco Curto, Francesca D’Asta, Michele D’Auria, Anna De Fulviis, A. De Vita (JF Kramer), Piergiorgio Dessi, Rosalba Di Chiara, Flavio di Domenicantonio, Mariella Di Gennaro, Giuseppe Di Natale, Cristina Di Paolo, Marco Donnarumma, Giusi Dorn, Marco Eracli, M. Rosaria Esposito, Carlotta Fiamingo, Giuseppe Floris Serra, Nelvis Fornasin, Enrico Frandino, Morena Galli, Armando Gazzeri, Gloria Giustiniani, Carmine Grasso, Anna Maria Guarnieri, Rossella Guazzolini, Seriana Guerriero, Giusy Iodice, Gabriele Jagnocco, Bruno Gabriel Ialia, G. Carmelo Laudani, Luigi Lauri, Luigi Lenarduzzi, Vivien Lenart, Ivano F. Liberati, Pier Paolo Lorenzini, Silvia Manni, Gianluca Marini, Corrado Marra, Giuseppina Marrocchino, Anna Maria Massani, Marika Mazzeo, Riccardo Mazzoni, Christian Messaggi, Gianni Moramarco, Fulvia Morgante, Giuseppe Mosetti, Juliana Moura, Catia Nardocci, Veronica Natale, Margherita Palmieri, Salvatore Patucci, Paola A. Petrelli, Roberta Picardi, Flavio Pizzuti, Margherita Pomati, Luciana Ponticelli, Carmela Procida, Giovanni Procida, Italo Pulcini, Carmen Punto Arte, Antonio Rana, Valentina Rapone, Teodora Ricciardi, Mira Rinalda, Mirko Roncelli, Alice Ruggieri, Francesca Rusciano, Pina Salierno, Maria Carmen Salis, Roberto Santi, Silvana Santi, Milena Santirocco, Patrizio Scarozza, Bogdan Ionut Scinteie, Marinella Scognamillo, Lucrezia Simone, Marta Slavkovska, Smerafrida, Raffaella Stefanovic, Bianca Stinchi, Leda Tagliavini, Antonio Terrazzano, Pasquale Tessitore, Jessica Teti, Carlo Tisci, Lucio Tregua, Maria Felice Vadala, Emilio Valeri, Mariagloria Vendramini, Daniele Vita (Dado), Nicola Zampella.
Participating Poets
The Biennial welcomes 55 poets, whose contributions extend the exploration of gold through the evocative power of language.
List of participating poets:
Gelsomina Astarita, Aurelio Bettini, Marco Bizzi, Stefania Buzi, Gualtiero Carini, Gladys Mabel Cantelmi, Antonella Crimi, Mimmo D’Ambrosio, Marisa Dal Maso, Angela De Nicola, Diana De Renzo, Cristoforo De Vivo, Domenico Di Fatta, Patrizia Faiello, Federica Ficola, Fausto Fulgoni, Loredana Giannuzzi, Sabina Gianquinto, Veronica Girella, Edvige Gioia, Gilberta Grasselli, Sabina Greco, Luisa Imperiale, Mariolina Laera, Massimiliano Lepera, Maria Marsicano, Gea Minerva Massimi, Alessia Mattei, Katia Moi, Paolo Montanari, Alberto Morganti, Catia Nardocci, Piero Napoli, Tiziana Napoleone, Selene Patella, Mara Perotti, Lucia Maria Pesenti, Rebecca Pezzini, Antonio Rana, Luis Rega, Mario Rigli, Maria Rosa Di Bella, Enrico Savino, F. Romana Scasseddu, Lucrezia Simone, Antonia Taggi, Fulvia Tateo, Antonio Terrazzano, Mauro Tesone, Francesca Ulisse, Mariateresa Usai, Claudio Vecchione, Daniela Villa, Mariagloria V.M., Daniela Vola.
Castello Colonna: Where History Meets Contemporary Art
The Biennial takes place at Castello Colonna in Genazzano, a historic complex overlooking the town from a tuff hill in the province of Rome. Its origins date back to the 11th century. Over the centuries, the Colonna family transformed the original medieval fortress into a stately residence, enriched with new rooms and artistic features.
Severely damaged during the 1943 bombing, the castle underwent restoration beginning in 1979 and was returned to the local community. Today, it houses the Museo Atelier Castello Colonna and the International Centre for Contemporary Art, reaffirming its cultural vocation.
In this setting, where traces of the past coexist with contemporary artistic research, “Within Gold” finds a particularly meaningful home: a space where historical memory meets new forms of creativity and contemporary art renews our way of looking at the world.
Opening, Closing and Visitor Information
Opening – Saturday, 17 October 2026, at 5:00 pm
Official ribbon-cutting ceremony and opening of the Biennial, with Roberto Litta.
Closing event and awards ceremony – Sunday, 25 October 2026, at 5:00 pm
Closing event and official awards ceremony, with G. Gregorio Grasso.
Venue: Castello Colonna, Genazzano (Rome, Italy)
Dates: 17–25 October 2026
Opening hours
- Monday to Friday: 5:00–8:00 pm
- Saturday and Sunday: 10:30 am–1:00 pm and 5:00–9:00 pm
Free admission.
Contacts and information
Phone: +39 338 686 9711
Email: studio5progettocreativo@gmail.com
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