Nero Barocco: bestiario lazzarone
From 1 October 2026, the historic rooms of Palazzo Cavallerini Lazzaroni in Rome hosts “Nero Barocco: bestiario lazzarone”, an exhibition project by the artist Nero/Alessandro Neretti. Organised by Zuecca Projects, the project presents a collection of previously unseen sculptures (in terracotta and metal), created specifically for the exhibition and the venue.
Arising from a dialogue between the physicality of moulded clay and the artistic legacy of the Roman Baroque, the works do not merely allude to the past, but rather act as visual devices that interrogate the space, transforming historical allusions and grotesque figures into an ironic and carnal sculptural narrative.
The installation comprises a series of two-dimensional sculptures which the artist conceives as Baroque entities intrinsic to the identity of Palazzo Lazzaroni. They are imagined as latent presences which re-emerge today, asserting their belonging to the space with renewed expressive force as if they had long remained concealed within the building’s layers of masonry.
The iconography of the works draws directly from the palace’s frescoes and the Roman monumental tradition – an imagery densely populated by heads, monstrous figures and intertwining vegetation. The aim is to bring to life a Baroque bestiary capable of triggering a tense dialogue with the architecture and historical stratification of the city.