Passageway is a solo exhibition by the German artist Wolfgang Laib (Metzingen, 1950), one of the leading figures on the international contemporary art scene, organized by FAI – Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano at Villa e Collezione Panza in Varese. The exhibition features four large-scale installations—one of them newly conceived and created specifically for the occasion—designed by the artist for the spaces of the Stables and the Carriage Houses. Curated by Anna Bernardini, the exhibition is presented as part of the celebrations marking the centenary of the birth of Giuseppe Panza di Biumo.
Wolfgang Laib's project is part of a four-year exhibition programme dedicated to themes that were central to Giuseppe Panza's collecting vision: "nature and form," "rhythm and movement," "sign and message," and "light and colour." Passageway concludes the cycle devoted to "nature and form," following Ex Natura. New Works from the Panza di Biumo Collection, which opened a year earlier and closed on 1 October 2023.
Following this first phase, the subsequent exhibitions will be presented annually, drawing both from the new Panza donation—a group of 108 works by 26 European and American artists, presented by FAI last year—and from the museum's permanent collection. In addition, the exclusive participation of contemporary artists, not necessarily represented in Giuseppe Panza di Biumo's collection but closely aligned with the ideas that shaped his research, gives rise to a series of "exhibitions within the exhibition," such as Passageway. These projects are intended to generate new perspectives and offer further reflections on the theme explored each year.
