THE SOOTHSAYER by MOUNA REBEIZ

PRESS RELEASE No. 1 – 20 June 2026

The Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia in Rome and the RO.SA.M. Cultural Association present The Soothsayer by Mouna Rebeiz, an exhibition dedicated to the Tarot, curated by art critic Roberta Semeraro, on display from 16 September to 13 December 2026 at the Museum.

Lebanese artist Mouna Rebeiz first presented The Soothsayer in 2022 at the Pavilion of the Republic of San Marino during the 59th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. The installation has now been reimagined as a site-specific project for the magnificent Renaissance setting of Villa Giulia, an initiative strongly supported by Luana Toniolo, Director of the Museo Nazionale Etrusco.

Conceived at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and esotericism, the installation consists of twenty-two monumental Tarot cards representing the Major Arcana. Created on large mirrored surfaces that directly engage visitors, the works invite them on a journey towards a deeper understanding of themselves.

The Soothsayer draws inspiration from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, in which the Etruscan haruspex Spurinna warns Caesar not to go to the Senate on the Ides of March, foretelling that he will otherwise meet his death. Ignoring the soothsayer’s prophecy, Caesar falls victim to the most famous conspiracy in Roman history.

It was precisely this connection with the Etruscan tradition of divination that inspired curator Roberta Semeraro to bring the project to Rome and install it within the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia. Divination occupied a central place in Etruscan culture, and the Museum still preserves important archaeological evidence and artefacts relating to the practices of haruspices and soothsayers.

The dialogue between Mouna Rebeiz’s contemporary work and the Museum’s archaeological heritage has acquired even greater significance following the historic acquisition by the Italian State of the François Tomb of Vulci, one of the greatest masterpieces of Etruscan painting. The celebrated frescoes of the tomb depict figures associated with prophecy and divination, including Amphiaraus and Cassandra, together with references to the ancient practice of ornithomancy, testifying to the central role that the sacred and the prediction of fate played in the ancient world.

Exploring the human mind’s capacity to investigate the unknown and what lies beyond the control of reason and the algorithms that govern Artificial Intelligence, the installation will be displayed in the Museum’s semicircular gallery in dialogue with the archaeological artefacts that bear witness to the ancient Etruscan knowledge to which Spurinna belonged.

Within the evocative Nymphaeum, built above an ancient Roman aqueduct, The Soothsayer, through the Fourteenth Major Arcana, Temperance, will reveal its prophecy to visitors. Depicting a woman pouring water from one vessel into another, the work will offer a unique and unrepeatable combination of painting and music inspired by Mythodea by Vangelis, to which Rebeiz has dedicated a monumental painting over sixteen metres high.

Originally composed by the renowned Greek composer to commemorate NASA’s exploration of Mars, the only planet where the presence of water suggests that some form of life may once have existed and which may one day provide a refuge for humankind—Mythodea reinforces the exhibition’s reflection on destiny, knowledge and the future.

The visitor’s journey concludes in the Museum’s Zodiac Room, where educational panels on the Ecological Transition and information on energy conservation will be displayed. Ultimately, visitors will be left with a choice: to follow their destiny, as Julius Caesar did, or to heed the Soothsayer’s prophecy and change the course of history.

Among the exhibition’s most original features is its extension throughout the city of Rome. Selected works from the exhibition will be displayed in public advertising spaces managed by Adv Art Media, directed by Marco Romeo.

The exhibition design has been developed by Studio Palinsesto London, led by Simonpietro Salini and Federico Lippi, while the multimedia installation Mythodea will be directed by Slovenian visual artist and filmmaker Atej Tutta.

Also on view in Venice until 8 November 2026 is Mouna Rebeiz’s solo exhibition Le tarbouche. When an Accessory Becomes a Symbol, curated by Roberta Semeraro and organised by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia at Palazzo Mocenigo – Centre for the Study of Textiles, Costume and Perfume.

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