Benni Bosetto. Rebecca
A breathing museum. A body made of rooms. Discover Benni Bosetto’s first major exhibition at Pirelli HangarBicocca.
Benni Bosetto (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
Benni Bosetto (b. 1987, Merate; lives and works in Milan) is one of the most original voices of her generation in the Italian contemporary art scene, distinguished by her imaginative poetics and exploration of the concept of identity. Her practice encompasses drawing, sculpture, installation, and performance.
"Rebecca" (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
“Rebecca” is Bosetto’s first major institutional solo exhibition. For the project, the artist transforms the Shed at Pirelli HangarBicocca into an environment that evokes domestic space and where rooms, walls, and surfaces seem to come to life.
"Rebecca" (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
The title refers to the Gothic novel of the same name by Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989), in which the young protagonist goes to live in a grand house and experiences the oppressive presence of its previous occupant, Rebecca.
"Rebecca" (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
Dividing the space into three main areas entitled “la guancia” [The cheek], “la pancia” [The belly], and “il cuore” [The heart], the artist conceives “Rebecca” in architectural terms as if it were an extension of a female body.
"La bocca" (detail) (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
Positioned at the entrance to the exhibition space, La bocca introduces visitors to the artist’s visionary world, a dreamlike landscape which prompts reflections on the body, on feeling exposed to the eyes of others, on care and rest as acts that are as intimate as they are political.
"Le cellule" (detail) (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
Le cellule is an expansive installation that completely covers the walls of the Shed with hundreds of vertical strips of paper with drawings and collages hand-made by the artist. The surfaces are transformed into a sort of skin, a membrane that marks a boundary but at the same time also a welcoming environment.
"Rebecca" (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
“La guancia”, the area of the body that rests on a pillow, is the section conceived as a place for daydreaming. It is divided into four environmental installations: Confessionale animale, La guancia, Corridoio orgonico, and Gli occhi.
La guancia, the installation that gives its name to the entire environment, includes places to sit or lie down where visitors can pause.
"Gli occhi" (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
Gli occhi, two rolled-up lace curtains from whose edges protrude oversized pairs of ceramic shoes, represent the “guardians” of the home according to Bosetto.
"Rebecca" (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
“La pancia”, referring to the organ that receives and metabolizes, a cavity of metamorphosis and transformation, houses the series Le porte, nine thresholds created especially for the exhibition. Scattered across the floor, they take the form of containers, housing characters and settings.
"Porta pisello" (detail) (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
Among these, Porta pisello is inspired by the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen. This reference to popular tradition is intertwined with one of the artist’s childhood memories: the act of shelling peas for the soup together with her family, a slow and shared task.
"Porta mollica – la contrabbandiera" (detail) (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
Porta mollica – La contrabbandiera as well is based on the artist’s personal recollections, in particular a childhood memory linked to something she used to do with her mother: modelling little flowers out of the soft part of a bread.
"Rebecca" (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
“Il cuore”, the last room of the exhibition, is a space where emotions emerge as collective pulsations. The artist sets up a milonga—a dance hall, an event, and a social gathering where dancers meet to tango—transforming the room into a setting for relating to others. The space comes to life through the performance Tango (II version).
"Tango (II version)" (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
Tango (II version) is a reflection on falling in love as a process of intoxication and on the physicality of feelings, playing with clichés and arche types associated with love. Bosetto has also made a series of masks depicting animals, birds, insects, molluscs, and little terrestrial land scapes to give life to a representation that imagines love as an expanded relationship which is not limited to humans.
"Porta sussurri" (detail) (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
Numerous institutions and independent spaces have presented Benni Bosetto’s exhibitions, such as Museo della Marineria Washington Patrignani, Pesaro, Spazio Lima, Milan (2024); Villa di Geggiano, Siena, MAMbo – Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna (2022); Almanac Inn, Turin (2020);
"Rebecca" (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
Kunstraum, London (2019); Fonderia Battaglia, Milan (2018); Convento de los Dominicos, Ibiza, Spain (2017); Tile Project Space, Milan (2016).
"Rebecca" (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
Her work and performances have been exhibited in many group shows held in important institutions, such as Madre – Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Donnaregina, Naples, Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Rivoli-Turin (2024);
MAXXI L’Aquila – Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo, L’Aquila (2023); GAMeC – Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Bergamo (2022); Mart – Museo d’arte moderna e con temporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Rome (2021);
"Confessionale animale" (2026) by Benni BosettoPirelli HangarBicocca
Quadriennale d’arte, Rome, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Palazzo Re Rebaudengo, Guarene (2020); Villa Medici, Rome (2019); OGR-Officine Grandi Riparazioni, Turin, MAMbo – Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna, Fondazione Baruchello, Rome (2018); Future Dome, Milan (2017).
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.