Villa Massimo Visits Weimar: Lecture by Lola Randl
With a diverse programme of art and cultural events, two academic cohorts from the the Deutschen Akademie Rom Villa Massimo will be visiting Weimar for the first time in the summer of 2026. 22 Rompreis recipients from the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 cohorts from the fields of architecture, art, literature, and composition will be showcasing their work at prominent partner institutions and in other public spaces throughout the city. The series begins with a guest lecture by film maker Lola Randl on 27 May 2026 at 5 pm in the Oberlichtsaal of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.
The University-wide series is organised by the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism and takes place over two semesters. The events are organised by Verena von Beckerath, Jan von Brevern, and Bernd Schmutz. The series is part of the »Wo die Zitronen glüh’n – Villa Massimo zu Gast in Weimar« festival, which is being held from 23 to 26 July 2026, as a collaboration between Villa Massimo and cultural institutions in Weimar.
Lola Randl is a film maker and author. Born in 1980 in Munich, she studied film at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne and lived in Berlin before moving to the sparsely populated region of Uckermark in northern Germany. Her work often features autobiographical elements. In Gerswalde, she established the »Großer Garten« in a former castle garden, which became a laboratory for her reflections on nature, work, and community. After receiving the Villa Massimo fellowship in Rome, she relocated her life and work to the Italian capital. Now set up in a former auto repair shop, she is currently developing »Officinacittà«, an experimental centre for urban practice and planetary gardening. As part of her lecture, Lola Randl will be screening the film »The Planetary Garden«, created during her residency at Villa Massimo in 2024/25, and will be discussing her current project.
Her lecture is part of a series on sustainability and is aimed at second-semester students in the Bachelor of Architecture degree programme.
Villa Massimo
The Rompreis Villa Massimo and scholarship from the Deutschen Akademie Rom Casa Baldi are considered to be the most prestigious awards for German artists and artists working in Germany. Wolfram Weimer, the Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien, grants the Rompreis Villa Massimo for a ten-month period to nine individuals or groups chosen by four expert panels in the fields of architecture, visual arts, musical composition, and literature. The Rompreis recipients are among the most influential figures in the German cultural scene. The composers, writers, architects, and visual artists live in spacious studios with adjoining apartments. Their stay in Rome is intended to inspire them and offer them artistic direction without financial constraints.
Further information on Villa Massimo can be found on their website:
www.villamassimo.de