about WK

In brief

WUNDERKAMMERN was founded in 1998 in Spello, Umbria. On the tenth anniversary of its activities, WK moved to a new venue in Rome, for a wider project of excellence promoting the most innovative research of contemporary art in its different forms and languages.

WUNDERKAMMERN is not an ordinary art gallery. It presents itself as a private residence, and adopts the inspiring principle of those homonymous collections incorporating scientific curiosities and extraordinary objects that used to be gathered together since the Middle Ages, above all from the 16th to the 18th century. Located in Torpignattara, an area of Rome undergoing a dynamic cultural expansion, WK is an in-progress collection of art events oriented towards the marvellous, the paradox, the unaccepted, the recomposing of extraordinary fragments between the inside and the outside. All in relation to our contemporary society and its intangible cultural heritage.

The WK scientific committee composed of internationally renowned experts, critics, art theorists and collectors, oversees the various events with exhibitions, site-specific installations, performance and video art, and continuing its artist residence programme as in its older venue.

The Wunderkammern Scientific Committee

The WK Scientific Committee is composed of renown experts, critics, art theorists and collectors. It oversees the programming of the exhibition calendar and guarantees the highest quality level and cultural prestige of each event.

- Luca Massimo Barbero
- Renato Barilli
- Massimo Bignardi
- Giorgio Bonomi
- Rossana Bossaglia
- Maurizio Calvesi
- Alberto Dambruoso
- Giuseppe Mario De Candia
- Giuliano Gori
- Simonetta Lux
- Lorenzo Mango
- Franco Ottavianelli
- Antonio Presti
- Francesco Tedeschi

3 Founders

The WUNDERKAMMERN was founded in 1998 and since then it has organised over 80 art exhibitions and major events and has presented over 100 artists, gaining national and international attention.
- Franco Ottavianelli - president of WK
- Afra Zucchi
- Giuseppe Ottavianelli

Staff:
- Simona Antonacci - Project Manager & Art Advisor

Contact us

Presentation by Umberto Croppi and Gianluca Santilli:

Umberto Croppi

The true face of contemporary art lives on the streets and in the surrounding area: a totally informal reality that is rarely in line with the official culture of a public body.
My department plans to trace this cultural evolution in Rome on a daily basis with the aim of bringing to light those "excellent" artistic works produced by an increasing number of associations and art galleries. Whenever this cultural reality enables the metropolitan city to be involved in its so-called outskirts, these developments are then certainly followed with greater enthusiasm.
With this aim in mind, I am delighted to observe the cultural and economic expansion of the Torpignattara district, which is attracting considerable public and private investment: here, spaces have sprung up that promote and host artistic projects through exhibitions, shows, site specific installations, videos and performance art. And it is here too that Wunderkammern, with its immense professionalism backed by the experience gained during ten years of active engagement in Umbria, has inaugurated a new exhibition venue.
Through its management policy, with a scientific committee consisting of well-known names from the art world, the association confronts and tackles art by exploring the complex issues of our contemporary world such as image rights, the relationship between artist-work-viewer, the dialectical exchange between the ordinary and the extraordinary, openness and privacy, voyeurism and exhibitionism.
I am delighted to greet this enterprise in its Rome centre which, through the welcoming hospitality offered by its exhibition floor, the deep emotion prompted by its underground features and the uniqueness of its garden, is ready to pursue the quest of the Wunderkammern - the "Chamber of Wonders" - where bygone enthusiasts once kept collections of extraordinary objects.
I sincerely hope that Wunderkammern will continue to inspire wonder in its devoted audience and astonish contemporary culture.

Umberto Croppi
Councillor for cultural policies and communication
Comune di Roma (Municipality of Rome)
January 2009

Umberto Croppi

Il vero volto dell’arte contemporanea vive sulla strada e nel territorio: una realtà tutta ufficiosa e raramente conformata dalla cultura ufficiale dell’Ente pubblico.
È questa evoluzione culturale di Roma che il mio assessorato intende seguire quotidianamente al fine di portare allo scoperto quei prodotti artistici “eccellenti” dovuti alle sempre più numerose associazioni e gallerie d’arte. Se poi questa realtà culturale impegna la città metropolitana nelle cosiddette periferie, è certamente più avvincente seguirne gli sviluppi.
In tal senso assisto con piacere all’espansione culturale ed economica di Torpignattara che sta attraendo considerevoli investimenti pubblici e privati: qui sono sorti spazi che promuovono ed accolgono progetti artistici attraverso mostre, rassegne, installazioni site specific, video e performance art. E’ qui la grande professionalità dell’associazione Wunderkammern, avallata dall’esperienza decennale di attività in Umbria, ha inaugurato una nuova sede espositiva.
La politica gestionale dell’associazione, con un comitato scientifico composto da nomi illustri del mondo dell’arte si confronta e affronta l’arte attraverso complesse tematiche della nostra contemporaneità quali il diritto all’immagine, la relazione tra artista-opera-fruitore, il confronto dialettico tra ordinario e straordinario, tra apertura e privacy e tra voyeurismo ed esibizionismo.
Sono lieto di salutare l’attività romana nella sua sede che, accogliente nell’ospitalità del piano espositivo, viscerale nei suoi caratteristici sotterranei e singolare nel suo giardino, si appresta a proseguire la ricerca di Wunderkammern - la “Camera delle meraviglie” dove i gli antichi collezionisti erano soliti conservare raccolte di oggetti straordinari.
Il mio augurio è di proseguire a meravigliare l’appassionato pubblico e sorprendere la cultura contemporanea.

Umberto Croppi
Assessore alle politiche culturali e alla comunicazione
Comune di Roma
Gennaio 2009

Gianluca Santilli

I am absolutely delighted by the arrival of Wunderkammern.
I met Franco Ottavianelli, Afra Zucchi and Giuseppe Ottavianelli about a year and a half ago when they came to my office with the idea of opening a contemporary art gallery in the 6th Municipality of Rome, and asked if they could hold the first meeting of the Scientific Committee in the council chamber.
I was immediately struck by their enthusiasm and passion, and tried to help them in accomplishing their project.
Their idea of a contemporary art gallery in the area was exactly in line with the direction that we are following for cultural policies in the Municipality. We are in fact seeking to attract cultural opportunities into our semi-peripheral area with the aim of bringing citizens closer to art, without obliging them to go into the city centre. So Franco’s proposal was exactly what we were looking for.
And here we are. On its opening day alone, Wunderkammern attracted about 1,000 viewers and almost double that number have visited it thus far: an unquestionable sign of success, and policy-making with a strong focus in the area.
I thank Franco, Afra and Giuseppe for their invaluable work and wish them the best of luck for the future.

Gianluca Santilli
Delegate for Cultural Policies
6th Municipality of Rome
January 2009

Gianluca Santilli

Sono davvero soddisfatto per l'arrivo della Wunderkammern.
Ho conosciuto Franco Ottavianelli, Afra Zucchi e Giuseppe Ottavianelli circa un anno e mezzo fa quando si presentarono nel mio ufficio con l’idea di aprire a Roma, nel Municipio Roma 6, una galleria d’arte contemporanea, e la richiesta di accogliere nella sala consiliare la prima riunione del comitato scientifico.
Il loro entusiasmo, la loro passione mi colpirono subito e cercai di aiutarli a realizzare il loro progetto.
Una galleria d’arte contemporanea nel territorio andava proprio nella direzione che stiamo imprimendo alle politiche culturali del Municipio. Cerchiamo infatti di attirare momenti di cultura verso la nostra semi-periferia con l’intento di avvicinare i cittadini all’arte, senza che questi debbano per forza raggiungere il centro città. Quindi la proposta di Franco andava proprio nella nostra direzione.
Ed eccoci qua. La Wunderkammern ha contato, solo il giorno dell’inaugurazione, circa 1000 visitatori e circa il doppio ne sono passati finora. Segno di un successo indiscusso e di una politica ben centrata sul territorio.
Ringrazio Franco, Afra e Giuseppe per il loro prezioso lavoro e formulo loro i migliori auguri per il futuro.

Gianluca Santilli
delegato alle Politiche Culturali
Municipio Roma 6
Gennaio 2009