20th Art Space

The 20 Artspace gallery is located in the Quirinale/Esquilino neighborhood in Rome. The project consists of an adaptive reuse of a late 1800’s building ground floor commercial space which faces via XX Settembre.

The two major components of the project juxtapose the existing thick masonry envelope against a series of rectilinear laminated plates. Together they link previously segregated spaces along a central spine to generate an uninterrupted flow across the entire gallery.

The circulation spine of the 3,400 square feet begins at the ground level entry and ends at the rear in a multimedia space. Two smaller gallery spaces are located alongside the circulation spine. Offices are located at a suspended second floor volume which over looks the gallery and is visually connected with a glazed wall.

The choice of color parallels the overall theme of “contrast”. White linear/planar elements float against the thick grey walls and the black lacquered columns within the spinal gallery space. The use of a red laminated floating desk further accentuates the contrast between old and new, thick and planar, dark and light.

The white planar suspended ceiling in the main gallery helps to create a sense of separation from the grey masonry enclosure, along with the elevated platforms adjacent to the exhibition walls. Within the multimedia space the contrast between the suspended volume of the office is further defined by use of a black soffit.

The spatial quality of the gallery seeks to provide a characteristic and identity to the commercial exhibition space that can serve as an incubator for multiple forms of artistic expression while also being different than the usual vanilla box.