The exhibition, Immeasurable Space, Piranesi Architect, explores the influence of Giovanni Battista Piranesi on contemporary architecture, by establishing a dialogue between his engravings and the work of eight contemporary architects.

Through Vedute di Tivoli, the Plan of Rome and Campo Marzio, and Carceri d’Invenzione, the exhibition examines Piranesi’s impact on spatial representation and the reinvention of ruins. Piranesi anticipated the complexity and expressive freedom of digital architecture and has since inspired designers such as Peter Eisenman and Zaha Hadid. The exhibited works, which have been sourced from Galleria 90, highlight Piranesi’s legacy between physicality and abstraction, shaping spatial perception to this day.

The participating architects include Luca Galofaro (LGSMA), David Greene (Archigram), Junya Ishigami, Amanda Levete (AL_A), Thom Mayne (Morphosis), Minimaforms, Stefano Pujatti (ELASTICOFarm), Wolf Prix (Coop Himmelb(l)au) Smiljan Radic and Michael Young (Young&Ayata, The Cooper Union).

The exhibition takes place in the upper floor rooms of Rocca Pia, a historic site and the first fortress of Pope Pius II, which was then abandoned and repurposed as a prison. The atmosphere draws inspiration from the almost abstract spatiality of Piranesi’s prints, alternating between compressed spaces and the long perspectives of the corridors, transforming the exhibition into an evocative journey between imagination and reality.

The exhibition is on view at Rocca Pia Castle, Tivoli, from 5 April – 5 May.

Image: Michela Falcone at the exhibition.