Wangechi Mutu – “Shavasana I” at the American Academy in Rome
Wangechi Mutu, Shavasana I, 2019 Bronze 9 1/2 x 83 x 53 inches (24.1 x 210.8 x 134.6 cm) Edition of 3 + 2 APs Signed and dated © Wangechi Mutu Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone
The American Academy in Rome, in collaboration with the Galleria Borghese, presents Shavasana I (2019) on the occasion of the solo exhibition Poemi della Terra Nera by Wangechi Mutu (2019 Resident) at the Galleria Borghese. The exhibition will be on view from June 10 through September 14, 2025.
Shavasana I represents a bronze figure covered by a woven straw mat. Only the limbs of the body are visible. It is titled after a yoga pose śavāsana (corpse), a meditative position. Mutu made this work in response to the violent racially motivated murder of a young Black woman.
The placement of this sculpture within the atrium of the Academy asks the Shavasana I figure to be in dialogue with Roman artefacts—fragments of the Norton-Van Buren Archaeological Study Collection—and resonates with the conversation introduced by the Borghese installation between Mutu’s works, antiquity, history, and our contemporaneity.
Opening Hours
Friday and Saturday from 4:00 to 7:00pm
(Closed between July 6 and September 8)
For special requests: tours [at] aarome.org (tours[at]aarome[dot]org).
A guided visit of the artwork installation with Andrew Heiskell Arts Director, Ilaria Puri Purini, will take place on Wednesday, June 25 at 6:00 pm. RSVP required.
June 10–September 14, 2025
Friday & Saturday, 4:00–7:00pm
Closed between July 6 and September 8
For access to the Academy, guests will be asked to show a valid photo ID. Backpacks and luggage with dimensions larger than 40 x 35 x 15 cm (16 x 14 x 6 in.) are not permitted on the property. There are no locker facilities available. You may not bring animals (with the exception of seeing-eye/guide dogs).
The Academy is accessible to wheelchair users and others who need to avoid stairs. Please email us at events@aarome.org if you or someone in your party uses a wheelchair or other mobility devices so that we can ensure the best possible visitor experience. If you are someone with a disability or medical condition that may require special accommodation, please also email us at events@aarome.org.
Galleria Borghese