Gianni Aricò
Artist: Gianni Aricò
Artwork: Monumento alla Pazzia
Material: bronze (sculpture), wood (base)
Measures: 220 x 260 x 64 cm (statue); 188 x 78 x 139 cm
(base)
Han Meilin
Artist: Han Meilin
Artwork: Two Panda (2017)
Materials: bronze
Measures: 93 x 82 x 74 cm
The panda sculptures were donated by the artist in 2017 to VIU following the exhibition "The World of Han Meilin in Venice" Exhibition, organized by Università Ca' Foscari, Venice International University, the China-Italy Dialogue Association, and The Han Meilin Foundation. The exhibition has been open from October 2017 to February 2018: 200 works were on display in the courtyards and halls of the main Palace of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.
Han Meilin has chosen Venice as an evocative point of departure for a world tour that will take him around Europe and then on to the Americas, the Middle East and India.
"Han Meilin - affirmed Ambassador Umberto Vattani, Curator of the Exhibition together with Prof. Zhao Li - has adeptly created his own fantasy universe, populated by alluring creatures, and animals interpreted according to the positive or negative characteristics attributed to them in the Chinese tradition, or even, using objects, engraved woods, fabrics, bronzes, all realized with an artistry that has deep roots in the past and is yet projected towards the future.
“We have brought to Venice - continued Ambassador Umberto Vattani - over 200 of his works, from the expansive collections in the three Museums dedicated to him by the government of the P.R. of China, in Beijing, Hangzhou and Yinchuan. In all of the works there is an unmistakable imprinting, typical of the Maestro: a defence of the incompleteness of a world that is yet to come. Han Meilin himself, in his art, bears witness to this concept, citing Leonardo Da Vinci who evoked: "Iron rusts from disuse; (...)... even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind"; an aphorism that brings him, at the age of 80, to engage in a world tour because, as he prefers to say, he is just four times twenty years old".
"Han Meilin's visit to Venice - highlighted Ambassador Vattani - represents a further challenge for the artist and an opportunity to nourish his inexhaustible intellectual curiosity, by experimenting with a material that as yet he has not had the opportunity to try: blown glass."
Sculpture Park
On San Servolo Island, students, professors, and visitors can admire works of art by internationally renowned contemporary artists. As an istitution which appreciates and values the importance of art, VIU is proud to exhibit several artworks in the park on the Island of San Servolo.
The following are some of the artists who have donated or loaned their artworks or exhibition on San Servolo:
Here is a list of artists whose work is on show in San Servolo:
GP Student Accommodation Guidelines
Students who will attend a semester of VIU Globalization Program can apply for support in finding an accommodation through VIU channels.
All options are in shared rooms (divided by gender), trying to mix nationalities and universities of origin.
There are two accommodation options:
- Dorms on San Servolo island campus
- A place in apartments in Venice city
Students from the following universities are eligible for accommodation:
• Boston College
• Duke University
• European University at St. Petersburg
• Korea University
• KU Leuven
• Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet
• Rice University
• Sabancı University
• Stellenbosch University
• Tel Aviv University
• Tsinghua University
• University of Exeter
• Université de Lausanne
• Université de Bordeaux
• Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata”
• Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca
• Waseda University
If there is a surplus of places available, they will be offered to exchange students of Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, Università Iuav di Venezia and Università di Padova.
Pre-requisite
VIU housing services (on San Servolo campus or in an apartment) are reserved for students who are taking at least 3 courses at VIU. Students must maintain this status throughout the semester i.e. students availing of VIU housing services must take and complete at least 3 courses.
Dates
Accommodation period:
2nd Semester of the AY 2025-26:
February 15 (check-in) – May 31, 2026 (check out)
1st Semester of the AY 2026-27:
September 6 (check-in) – December 20, 2026 (check out)
2nd Semester of the AY 2026-27:
February 14 (check-in) – May 30, 2027 (check out)
Application deadlines:
June 5, 2026 (1st Semester of the AY 2026-27)
November 30, 2026 (2nd Semester of the AY 2026-27)
Accommodation payment:
Within 7 days after receiving the confirmation and payment instructions
Application procedure
1. Applications open twice a year, together with the semester pre-registration opening. Students can register through an online form on the VIU website. The accommodation form will be accessible from the students personal page after logging in the VIU website (login link in homepage)
2. The accommodation application is valid only for one semester and VIU-managed accommodation is not available for the break between the two semesters. Students who are planning to attend two semesters at VIU during the same academic year will have the option of requesting VIU-managed accommodation for the second semester, or may decide they prefer to arrange their own. VIU staff will be available to give students information and advice on arranging their own accommodation for January-February, until the beginning of the second semester.
3. Students who have been accepted will receive a binding agreement to sign, as well as instructions for payment. Each place is considered confirmed only after receipt of payment.
4. VIU will take care of the booking in residential halls on campus, as well as the apartments and will arrange for the lease contracts, which will be in the students’ names.
5. Before arriving in Venice, students will receive details about the accommodation location, contacts of flatmates and landlord/rental agent to directly arrange the check-in.
Accommodation options
Option 1: accommodation ON CAMPUS, San Servolo island
places in single, double, 3-bed and 4-bed available in the residential halls on the island of San Servolo, managed by a services company called San Servolo Servizi Metropolitani. VIU will try to fulfill all requests of room choice, subject to availability.
Cost/person/semester:
3-bed and 4-bed rooms: 1,435 Euros;
double rooms: 1,650 Euros;
single rooms: 1,925 Euros.
The price is to be paid in full to confirm the reservation, non-refundable.
N.B. Payment for students from Duke University (refer to: mariah.henderson@duke.edu) and from Rice University (refer to Irene Mendez: ism1@rice.edu) is made directly by their universities: in addition to filling in the accommodation form on the VIU website, students have to confirm their choice to their university’s International Office and must sign an Accommodation agreement with the services company.
A deposit (200 Euro, cash only) will be required before entering the room, refunded after departure unless there has been any damage to the room.
• Rooms are regularly cleaned
• Linen, towels and blankets are provided; linen and towels are changed once a week
• There are laundry facilities available (washing and drying).
• No outside guests are allowed in the residential halls
• No pets are allowed in the residential halls
• Cooking is strictly prohibited in the bedrooms of the residential halls
• Smoking is strictly prohibited in the residential halls
• Noise levels should be kept to a minimum, especially after 10 pm
• No kitchen facilities available in the dorms: a cafè bar and a restaurant are available on campus and students will have the use of a common room with microwave and refrigerator
• Reception is open from 8.30 am to 9 pm. Contact them for any problem in your room (light bulbs, heating, A.C., …)
• A night porter is on duty from 9 pm to 8.30 am.
Option 2: accommodation IN APARTMENTS in Venice
VIU coordinates the rental by students of several apartments in different areas of Venice city center through real estate agencies. Places are limited and allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.
The apartments are usually for 4-6 students, in twin bedrooms. Men and women students will live together in the apartments, although shared rooms will be divided by gender. All students will share bathrooms, kitchens and common areas. Nationalities will be mixed as much as possible, depending on the number of students from each member university.
There is no guarantee to be assigned a place in apartment. If not assigned a place in an apartment, students will be offered a place on campus.
Cost/person/semester:
1,700 Euros, to be paid in full to confirm the reservation, non-refundable.
Including agency commission and VAT, contract registration, Internet. Utilities are not included.
A few places (1-3) may be in single rooms. Places in single rooms (if available) are assigned by lottery among the students who have expressed their interest. The cost for single room accommodation is 1,925 Euros.
N.B. Payment for students from Duke University (refer to: mariah.henderson@duke.edu) and from Rice University (refer to Irene Mendez: ism1@rice.edu) is made directly by their universities: in addition to filling in the accommodation form on the VIU website, students have to confirm their choice to their university’s International Office and sign an “Accommodation agreement”.
A deposit equivalent to one month's rent will be required at check-in and will be refunded after departure, unless there has been any damage to the apartment.
• Utilities are not included and are at student’s expense, usually paid at check-out
• Cleaning service is not included and it is the students’ responsibility to keep the apartment in the best condition; the final cleaning charge is compulsory
• Apartments are supplied with a fully equipped kitchen
• A washing machine is usually available in every apartment, except if differently specified
• Linen, towels and blankets are usually provided, except if differently specified
• No pets are allowed in the apartments
• Smoking is strictly prohibited in the apartments, including your own room
• Noise levels should be kept to a minimum, especially after 10 pm out of respect for your neighbors.
Special requests
Any special requests regarding accommodation must be communicated in advance to VIU by writing to student-services@univiu.org.
We will do our best to meet your needs.
Pietro Consagra
Artist: Pietro Consagra
Artwork: Doppia Bifrontale (Double Bifrontal)
Dimensions: 335 x 490 x 120 cm
Plinth: 35 x 400 x 120 cm
Technique: Painted iron
During his long career Pietro Consagra (Mazara del Vallo, Sicily, 1920 - Milan, 2005) touched upon all the different aspects of artistic creativity. While he produced the sculptures for which he is internationally acclaimed, he also painted and drew, exploring new media and techniques, wrote poetry and essays, designed buildings and large-scale urban installation, along with tiny pieces of jewellery.
From 1948 onward he began to express in his sculptural works a "frontal vision" and unique viewing angle; this intention was endorsed by the Colloqui series, which secured his recognition at international level. In 1960 he was awarded the Sculpture Prize at the Venice Biennale.
In 1968 he proposed his concept of bi-frontality, having a minimum thickness of two tenths of a millimetre in the Extremely-thin series in steel, to a maximum of six metres for the buildings of the Frontal City. On the basis of this maximum consistency for the double frontality, came a series of large-scale sculptures, such as the Stones of Versilia (1973), Back-to-back (1976), Walls (1977), Interferences (1985), Sibillines (1990), Gates (1990), Façades (1996), and Double Bifrontals (2000).
Visit Pietro Consagra Website