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LA NOTA MANCANTE
A curatorial journey exploring absence, longing, and memory, where the unseen note becomes the most resonant of all.
“Memory rarely survives as a complete image; rather, it returns in fragments through
atmospheres, sensations, and fleeting impressions that resist language. A scent remembered but impossible to name, a sound that lingers in the mind, the emotional residue of a gesture or a face: La Nota Mancante begins from this condition, from the
awareness that what is missing often resonates more deeply than what is fully present.”
This exhibition is curated by Alexandra Mazzanti and informed by the work of scent historian and sensory curator Caro Verbeek, with the support of IFF directed by Bernardo Fleming.
I am very honored that The Day-Dream (Secret Understanding) is included in the Inaugural Exhibition La Nota Mancante (“The Missing Note”) at the Fondazione Maddalena Di Giacomo in Venice, Italy. The inauguration reception is to be held on 21 May 2026 with the show on view from 22 May 2026 thru 21 November 2026.
I visited the Fondazione Maddalena Di Giacomo in Venice, Italy in early April and was absolutely enchanted. The fondazione occupies the piano nobile of the Palazzo Valier which has been lovingly renovated and restored by founder and director Alexandra Mazzanti in honor of her mother Maddalena Di Giacomo who dedicated her life to dance, art and music. The exhibition spaces felt like a jewel box, each room revealing a story and a unique sensory experience, a temple to memory, scent and art.
I especially love Alexandra’s collection of 18th Century miniature portraits including Georgian lover’s eye jewelry. Contemporary paintings hang alongside historical and modern masters. It is a unique and magical experience perfectly set within the breathtaking beauty of Venice. A lovely story about the fondazione was recently in Vogue Italia who kindly included an image of my painting. Needless to say the fondazione and its founder’s instagram are worth a follow @alexandramazzantibaldi and @fondazione_maddalenadigiacomo
I went thro’ many wayward moods
To see you dreaming—and, behind,
A summer crisp with shining woods.
And I too dream’d, until at last
Across my fancy, brooding warm,
The reflex of a legend past,
And loosely settled into form.
~“The Day-Dream” by Tennyson
The Day-Dream (Secret Understanding)
32×30 inches, oil on aluminum panel
©️2025 Fatima Ronquillo
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