ARTEMISIA GENTILESCHI, BEYOND THE GAZE
Twelve jewellery pieces, an immersive experience and a private collection to explore: Annelies Nuy, Dutch designer, brings BEYOND THE FREEPORT to Carpeneto on 8, 11 and 14 November, by appointment only.
CARPENETO (ALESSANDRIA, ITALY), 8, 11 and 14 November 2026 — What if a piece of jewellery could become a gateway to a work of art? This is the idea behind BEYOND THE FREEPORT — ISSUE #2: ARTEMISIA GENTILESCHI, a project by Annelies Nuy - Dutch artist, curator and concept developer working across art, fashion and technology - that brings together art, contemporary jewellery and virtual reality. The project will be presented on 14 November at Club Carpeneto, in the heart of the Alto Monferrato region of Piedmont, Italy.
Following its presentation in Milan during Milano Jewelry Week 2026, the project arrives at a historic house in the region for a private experience designed to be enjoyed individually, by appointment.
At the heart of the project are twelve sculptural jewellery pieces, brought together in the collection CONVERSATION PIECES — FRAGMENTS OF HISTORY. Each piece features a QR code that leads to a virtual reality environment, accessible through a dedicated VR headset, where visitors can explore a private collection of works by Artemisia Gentileschi.
Jewellery thus becomes much more than an object to wear: it transforms into a threshold between the physical and digital worlds, connecting the personal dimension of an object with the possibility of accessing an artistic heritage that would otherwise be difficult to encounter.
ARTEMISIA, BEYOND HER STORY
More than four centuries after her time, Artemisia Gentileschi is still often discussed primarily through the lens of her personal story: her courage, the challenges she faced and her position as a woman artist in a world dominated by men. This history is essential to understanding her significance, yet it can sometimes overshadow the strength and distinctiveness of her painting.
BEYOND THE FREEPORT invites viewers to return to the works themselves and approach them from a different perspective. The positioning of figures, the psychological tension of gestures, the relationship between bodies and space, the use of light and colour all become starting points for a renewed exploration of the artist’s visual language. What changes when subjects traditionally depicted through a male gaze are painted by a woman? What new interpretations emerge from expressions, relationships between figures and compositional choices? And what understanding of women’s experiences in the seventeenth century might still be embedded in these images?
Annelies Nuy’s research proposes a new reading of Gentileschi’s work, looking beyond her biography to focus on her artistic identity and on the ability of her paintings to speak to the present.
WHO HAS ACCESS TO CULTURAL HERITAGE?
The project also addresses a pressing question: access to art and the relationship between private ownership and collective memory.
A significant part of our artistic heritage is held in private collections, beyond the reach of regular exhibition spaces. How can these works be made accessible to new forms of knowledge and engagement?
In BEYOND THE FREEPORT, virtual reality becomes a tool for bringing audiences closer to a selection of works by Artemisia Gentileschi without requiring the physical relocation of the paintings. The QR code on each jewellery piece opens a pathway into the digital experience, transforming a tangible object into a connection with images, stories and art-historical contexts.
Through IN CIRCULATION, the Conversation Pieces are conceived to pass from one person to another, generating new opportunities for encounters and conversations. The project suggests an alternative form of cultural circulation, in which the value of art lies not only in ownership, but also in the possibility of discovering, interpreting and sharing its meaning.
A PRIVATE ENCOUNTER, A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
At Club Carpeneto, the project unfolds through individual appointments, in an intimate setting that invites visitors to spend time with the jewellery and explore the immersive experience using VR headsets.
It is an encounter between artistic research and technology, in which jewellery becomes a means of accessing art history and an invitation to look again at what we thought we already knew.
Because what we cannot see risks being forgotten.
BEYOND THE FREEPORT — ISSUE #2: ARTEMISIA GENTILESCHI
8, 11 and 14 November 2026 | Club Carpeneto, Carpeneto, Alessandria, Italy
Private experience by appointment, with times arranged individually.
The project is supported by Anasæa, and can also be viewed without a VR headset at this link.
Information and appointment requests:
+31651891851
Instagram — @post_colonial_gold
About Annelies Nuy — anneliesnuy.com
Annelies Nuy is a Dutch artist, curator and concept developer, living and working between Amsterdam and Italy. Her practice spans art, fashion and technology, exploring how emerging possibilities can challenge established structures and create new ways of thinking and experiencing culture.
A cum laude graduate in Fashion from ArtEZ (1997), Nuy has been a pioneer in the exploration of digital platforms, connected intelligence and new models of distribution. Today, she brings this forward-thinking approach to projects that connect artistic research, innovation and contemporary culture.