The key points
- 213 female artists from 58 countries at the Biennale d’Arte in Venice
- The theme chosen by the curator Cecilia Alemani is The Milk of Dreams and investigates human metamorphosis
- Among the protagonists also Valentino, Burberry, Swatch, Dior, Louis Vuitton
Valentino, Burberry, Swatch, Dior, Louis Vuitton: fashion confirms its indissoluble bond with art and returns, as a protagonist, to the Venice Biennale starting tomorrow. The International Art Exhibition, now in its 59th edition, has 213 artists from 58 countries and is curated by Cecilia Alemani. The theme, “The Milk of dreams”, which investigates the metamorphosis of bodies and the different definitions of human beings, also lends itself well to experiments apart from the fashion-luxury universe, which has always been committed to nourishing dreams and interpreting transformations of its customers.
Leading brands between Arsenale and Giardini
The participation that has had the most resonance up to now is that of Valentino, main sponsor of the Italian Pavilion, curated by Eugenio Viola and, for the first time in the history of the event, represented by a single artist: Gian Maria Tosatti. Both the artist and the location have a strong bond with Pierpaolo Piccioli, Valentino’s creative director, and the maison itself: in fact, in 2021, the haute couture show of the fashion house was held in Venice, at the Gaggiandre of the Arsenale. . Valentino’s commitment (also economic: he is the main private lender who invested 1.4 million euros in the Pavilion) is not the only one: Burberry has signed a partnership with the British Council to support the British Pavilion. Historic presence at the Venice Biennale – it was commissioned in 1937 – this year the British pavilion will exhibit the works of the artist Sonia Boyce. The installations of Swatchthe long-running main partner of the event: a site-specific installation by Thai artist Navin Rawanchaikul will be open to the public, reflecting on the theme of community, while the “Swatch Faces” project will be set up in the Arsenale’s Sale d’Armi. exhibits works by five artists from the Swatch Art Peace Hotel.
The presence of fashion and luxury brands is spread throughout Venice: Dior, among the financiers of the Biennale 2022, has chosen the Teatro La Fenice as the location for a dinner-event, organized with Venetian Heritage, during which it will raise funds both for the restoration of the Giorgio Franchetti Gallery of the Ca’D’Oro Museum and for Ukrainian refugees in Italy; Louis Vuitton, on the other hand, will bring its own ephemeral bookshops to the city: eight historic Venetian newsstands set up with travel books that the French brand has been publishing for decades. That’s not all: in the Espace Louis Vuitton the exhibition “Apollo, Apollo” by Katharina Grosse will be on display (from 23 April to 27 November 2022).
Not last, Prada it will be the protagonist in Venice with the exhibition project “Human Brains: it begins with an idea”, being set up at Ca ‘Corner della Regina, headquarters of the Prada Foundation in Venice, in conjunction with the Biennale. The exhibition is the expression of a complex research process undertaken by the Prada Foundation in the field of neuroscience, which began in 2018.
Until 1 May, in the meantime, it can be visited Homo Faber, event dedicated to high craftsmanship. The eco designer Tiziano Guardini it participates together with Tessitura Bevilacqua with the project “La Fiaba – A Dress for Venice” between craftsmanship, sustainability and haute couture created with the artist Luigi R. Ciuffreda in the historic spaces of the Tessitura, on the Grand Canal, until April 29th.