Domenica Regazzoni was born in Valsassina in 1953.
The daughter of the luthier Dante Regazzoni, she inherited from her father early in life a deep understanding of making, creating, and leaving a mark on the world through the work of hands and mind. She began painting in the early 1970s while attending the Brera Academy in Milan.
In the early 1990s, she moved away from figurative painting in favor of an abstract and informal style. Inspired by the poetic songs of Mogol and Lucio Dalla, she created the exhibitions Colore Incanto (1996) and Regazzoni&Dalla (1998), where her works sought an intersection between painting, music, and poetry—exploring the intimate affinities connecting color, material, sound, and word.
In 1997, she was among the artists selected for the Libero Blu competition hosted by Galleria Blu in Milan to mark its 40th anniversary. Between 1997 and 2001, she held solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Japan, as well as across numerous Italian cities, including Milan at Fondazione Stelline, Rome at the Complesso del Vittoriano, and Bologna in the former Church of San Mattia. During this same period, following the passing of her father, she created the exhibition Dal legno al suono (From Wood to Sound), curated by Gillo Dorfles and inspired by the art of violin making. It was exhibited at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence (2003), Teatro Dal Verme in Milan (2004), Villa Manzoni in Lecco (2005), and the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome (2006).
In 2008, a new series of works on the same theme formed the exhibition Scolpire la musica (Sculpting Music), curated by Martina Corgnati, featuring solo shows at prestigious institutions such as Bocconi University in Milan, the International Museum and Library of Music in Bologna, and Galerie Miyawaki in Kyoto. During these years, she also took up printmaking, working at Giorgio Upiglio's historic printshop until his passing in October 2013. In 2012, she exhibited a series of works inspired by Milan alongside photographs by Gabriele Basilico as part of the project La fabbrica e la città (The Factory and the City). That same year, she began collaborating with Shanghai's governmental cultural institutions, holding solo exhibitions at the Italian Shanghai Center (formerly the EXPO 2010 Italian Pavilion) and Tongji University's Faculty of Architecture.
In 2015, as part of Milan's Expo in Cittàevents, she presented the exhibition Convergenze Parallele (Parallel Convergences) at Palazzo della Permanente alongside printmaker Lu Zhiping, in collaboration with the Chinese Pavilion.
In March 2020, at the invitation of the Municipality of Bologna and the Fondazione Dalla, she held the exhibition Domenica Regazzoni & Lucio Dalla a 4 mani (Domenica Regazzoni & Lucio Dalla Four-Handed) in the Sala d’Ercole at Palazzo d’Accursio, curated by Silvia Evangelisti. A broad selection of these works was later displayed in a dedicated booth during the special events of the inaugural Roma Arte in Nuvola modern and contemporary art fair in November 2021.
Among her most notable group exhibitions are her participation in the 54th Venice Biennale (2011) and the 2nd and 3rd Rome Trienniale (2014–2017).
Her publications include illustrations for Antonia Pozzi’s poetry collection Canto Segreto (Secret Song) for Vanni Scheiwiller's "All'insegna del pesce d'oro" series (1992), as well as a monograph dedicated to Haiku poetry published by Viennepierre Edizioni (2000). On the same subject, she published a new catalogue with Silvana Editoriale in 2021, curated by Silvia Evangelisti. In 2024, Allemandi published an anthological catalogue of her works, curated by Luca Beatrice. Several of her music-inspired sculptures are permanently installed in public spaces in Italy and abroad: Bucharest, Romania: Her most significant public sculpture, Violino Spaccato (Split Violin), is located in Colțea Park at University Square. Segrate (Milan area): Piazza S. Francesco. Barzio (Lecco): in front of the headquarters of the Comunità Montana. Cremona: At the entrance of the Museo del Violino. Vieste, in Gargano region, in the Corte dell’Elite inside the town hall.
Domenica Regazzoni - About My Work
2020 - Milan