Art

Paolo Sorrentino La dolce attesa: where waiting becomes an art form

The filmmaker’s immersive installation “La dolce attesa” at the Salone del Mobile.Milano will invite visitors to experience the passage of time in a new way.

Por: Alejandro Carrillo
From April 8 to 13, acclaimed filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino presents “La dolce attesa” at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2025 / Photo via Salone del Mobile.Milano
From April 8 to 13, acclaimed filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino presents “La dolce attesa” at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2025 / Photo via Salone del Mobile.Milano

From April 8 to 13, acclaimed filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino presents “La dolce attesa” at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2025, reimagining pavilions 22-24 as a space where anticipation and uncertainty take center stage. 

 

This immersive installation invites visitors to experience the passage of time in a new way—where waiting is no longer merely an interlude but a moment charged with heightened emotions and an undefined future.

This immersive installation invites visitors to experience the passage of time in a new way / Photo via Paolo Sorrentino
This immersive installation invites visitors to experience the passage of time in a new way / Photo via Paolo Sorrentino

For Sorrentino, waiting is a paradox, an experience that evokes both unease and fascination. “Waiting is anguish. Sweet waiting is a journey that amazes and hypnotizes,” he reflects. Rather than viewing it as an ordeal, “La dolce attesa” encourages people to embrace stillness, transforming it into an opportunity for contemplation and discovery.

 

The renowned Italian director challenges conventional notions of time, urging visitors to see waiting as more than an idle pause. Instead, it becomes a resource—one that, when perceived differently, can be liberating rather than anxiety-inducing. This concept is particularly significant in today’s fast-paced world, where patience is often seen as a burden rather than an invitation to reflect.

For Sorrentino, waiting is a paradox, an experience that evokes both unease and fascination / Photo via Paolo Sorrentino
For Sorrentino, waiting is a paradox, an experience that evokes both unease and fascination / Photo via Paolo Sorrentino

Stillness, suspense, and cinema

While “La dolce attesa” takes center stage at Salone del Mobile.Milano, another thought-provoking installation will unfold at the Museo Pietà Rondanini, housed within Castello Sforzesco. Until May 18, Mother, curated by Robert Wilson, will be on display in dialogue with Michelangelo Buonarroti’s final, unfinished masterpiece, the Pietà Rondanini.

 

Wilson’s work combines carefully orchestrated lighting and sound, complemented by the ethereal strains of Stabat Mater by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. His aim is to grant Michelangelo’s sculpture a moment of breath and silence, allowing viewers to lose themselves in their thoughts and emotions.

To bring this vision to life, Paolo Sorrentino collaborated with set designer Margherita Palli, a creative force with a career spanning over forty years / Photo via Salone del Mobile.Milano
To bring this vision to life, Paolo Sorrentino collaborated with set designer Margherita Palli, a creative force with a career spanning over forty years / Photo via Salone del Mobile.Milano

Sorrentino’s fascination with the nuances of human emotion is evident in much of his work, and “La dolce attesa” continues this exploration. The installation captures the tension of waiting—whether it’s anticipating life-changing news or confronting an uncertain future. By framing waiting as a moment filled with potential rather than frustration, Sorrentino transforms it into a metaphor for life itself.

The beauty of the unfinished

Through this project, visitors are encouraged to slow down, inhale deeply, and observe time in an often overlooked way. Rather than treating waiting as a mere delay, “La dolce attesa” presents it as a space of infinite possibilities—where the unknown is not something to fear but something to embrace.

 

To bring this vision to life, Paolo Sorrentino collaborated with set designer Margherita Palli, a creative force with a career spanning over forty years. Palli, who has worked extensively with the late Luca Ronconi, has crafted more than sixty productions for prestigious institutions such as La Scala, Piccolo Teatro di Milano, and the Venice Biennale. Her ability to design immersive environments is integral to translating Sorrentino’s vision into a tangible, sensory experience.

Beyond her work with Ronconi, Palli has collaborated with renowned directors such as Liliana Cavani, Mario Martone, and Alexander Sokurov, as well as choreographers Yang Jiang and Daniel Ezralow. Her expertise in set design ensures that “La dolce attesa” is not only visually striking but also deeply evocative, making Paolo Sorrentino’s latest artistic endeavor a compelling addition to Salone del Mobile.Milano 2025.

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