THE SOOTHSAYER by MOUNA REBEIZ

PRESS RELEASE No. 2 – 29 July 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 29 November 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.

Conceived at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and symbolic traditions, 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.

“Mouna Rebeiz’s works transcend time by engaging with a universal theme that has accompanied humanity since its origins: the relationship between the divine and the destiny of each individual, —  says Luana Toniolo, Director of the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia — Just as the ancient signs entrusted by the Etruscans to ritual, art, and the interpretation of the invisible world, the arcana evoked by the artist open a space for contemplation in which past and present reflect one another. Her work invites viewers to embark on a journey where every symbol, both yesterday and today, offers no definitive answers, but instead gives rise to questions that resonate across time.”

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 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.

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.

The exhibition will also extend into a virtual dimension through its dedicated Instagram profile, @lindovino.exhibition, which is already online. The platform will not merely preview the exhibition’s content but, from the day of the opening, will also allow users to interact with Mouna Rebeiz’s Tarot cards.

Curator Roberta Semeraro intends to observe, through followers’ interactions, how Artificial Intelligence, programmed according to algorithmic logic, engages with a body of knowledge traditionally rooted in chance. Each month, a report analysing followers’ interactions with the account will be produced, and its findings will be shared with visitors throughout the exhibition. The initiative aims to encourage reflection on the influence of Artificial Intelligence on individual decision-making processes and on the role of algorithmic bias in shaping human choices.

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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