Il Ratto di Europa, curated by Sarah Daoui & Vittoria di Savoia, April 18-23, BKV, Via Fontana 16, Milano
Set within a historic early 20th-century Milanese palazzo dedicated to Old Master works this exhibition begins with a constraint: one work that cannot be moved.
Within the space hangs Il Ratto di Europa by Luca Giordano (Naples, 1632-1705), a monumental depiction of the mythological abduction of Europa by Zeus. In the myth, Europa a Phoenician princess from the Eastern Mediterranean is seduced and abducted by Zeus, disguised as a bull, and carried across the sea to Crete.
Her story becomes the origin myth of the European continent itself. Yet embedded within this foundational narrative are themes that resonate powerfully today: displacement, conquest, eroticized violence, and the political construction of identity.
This exhibition invites eight contemporary artists to respond directly to Il Ratto di Europa, treating the painting as a living question. Each artist contributes a work that enters into dialogue with the painting’s histories: the mythological origins of Europe, the movement of bodies and cultures between East and West, and the persistent representation of women as aestheticized symbols within narratives of power, empire, and war.
The project also reopens a historical paradox: Europe’s origin story begins not in Europe itself, but in the East. Europa is not European she is Phoenician. Her journey across the Mediterranean mirrors centuries of cultural exchange, migration, and conflict that continue to shape the political and social landscape of the region today. By situating contemporary works around Giordano’s painting, the exhibition transforms the room into a conversation across centuries. In 2026, The Rape of Europa is no longer only a mythological scene. It becomes a mirror, reflecting how foundational narratives of power, territory, and identity continue to structure our present.
April 18, 2026
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