Fashion on stage at the Biennale

For Friedrich Nietzsche it was an enchantment, «an image for the men of the future». And this is perhaps one of the secrets of Venice, always loved by poets, philosophers, artists and today more than ever «the place to be». A city that is experiencing a true Renaissance and that now, on the occasion of the beginning of the 59th Venice Biennale —open to the public from April 23 to November 27—, is being chosen by the world of fashion, which here precisely sees that enchantment and that future. Among the protagonists of this Biennale there is Valentino, main sponsor of the Italy Pavilion, promoted by the General Direction for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture, where for the first time this year the work of a single artist, Gian Maria Tosatti, is presented. Support for the project represents a return to Venice for the Maison of Mayhoola for Investments and its Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli, who here in 2021 presented his own haute couture collection, Valentino Des Ateliers, and sponsored the 49th International Theatre Festival.

«Fashion and art can influence society with their own languages. The union of these two intents, in a scenario of uniqueness, constitute what beauty means to me,» Pierpaolo Piccioli told MFF about this new tribute to Venice and its cultural landscape. The curator of the Italy Pavilion, Eugenio Viola, proposed a project that, like a statement, would be able to give a reading of the present. So Tosatti's work created for the Italy Pavilion, «Storia della Notte e Destino delle Comete» (History of the Night and Destiny of the Comets), is an environmental installation that encloses a plurality of languages and references to tell the current state of humanity and its perspectives. Among the supporters of the Biennale there is also Dior, donor of the event curated by Cecilia Alemani, who with the title «The Milk of Dreams» gives voice «to artists in order to create unique projects that reflect their visions and our society,» she commented.

As a journey into the metamorphoses of the human and its multiple definitions, this year's exhibition hosts the work of 213 artists from 58 countries. With this donorship, the LVMH Maison is reconnecting with the brand founder's fascination and love of culture. «Dior has forged countless ties with the art world. This passion of Monsieur Christian Dior, anchored in our DNA, drives us more than ever to promote art and culture in all their forms. A desire that is reflected today through this donation, which expresses the unwavering friendship between Dior and Italy,» Pietro Beccari, President and CEO of Christian Dior Couture, stated. In a continuum with the city and the culture, the griffe joins forces with Venetian Heritage, an international non-profit organization that will host a gala dinner on April 23 at the Teatro La Fenice. The aim is to preserve the city and its heritage, and in particular to support the restoration of the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca' d'Oro.

Moreover, as a gesture of solidarity towards the current geopolitical and humanitarian situation, «part of the proceeds will be donated to help Ukrainian refugees in Italy,» Toto Bergamo Rossi, Director of the Venetian Heritage Foundation, stated. The country affected by the conflict has a special space at the Venice Biennale. «Piazza Ucraina» is, indeed, an installation designed by architect Dana Kosmina, set up at the Giardini della Biennale as a place where the artists and the community in solidarity with this people can express themselves. The collateral events of the kermesse will include the appointment with art at Espace Louis Vuitton hosting Apollo, Apollo, a work by Katharina Grosse. In addition, Louis Vuitton has also inaugurated its designer newsstands around the squares as a celebration of the city and as a gesture to enhance the publishing industry and safeguard these Venetian places. Six of them have been completely renovated and two of them have a small kiosk next to them. The idea was to refurbish them, preserving the original codes, and to sell for a few days not only newspapers, but also the travel editions published by Louis Vuitton.

Diesel and its Creative Director Glenn Martens are also present in Venice. To celebrate the birthday of artist Tom of Finland (May 8, 1920 - November 7, 1991), the Tom of Finland Foundation —founded by Durk Dehner and Tom of Finland in 1984— and The Community curated «Altogether,» a group exhibition presenting, for the first time outside Los Angeles, the Foundation’s permanent collection of Lgbtq+ art, the richest one in the world. The exhibition, on display from April 23 to June 26 at Studio Cannaregio, will be followed by another exhibition opening at The Community Center in Paris on May 8. The two exhibitions combined include more than 200 archival works of erotic art from the 1940s to the present. Marlene Dumas’ large monographic exhibition at Palazzo Grassi —hosting the Pinault Collection— was already inaugurated last March 23 and will be on display until January 8, 2023. The open-end exhibition, curated by Caroline Bourgeois in collaboration with the South African artist, presents 100 works in a creative excursus from 1984 to today. 

In the same location and on the occasion of Dancing Studies —a series of performances commissioned and inspired by Bruce Nauman— Bottega Veneta and its Creative Director Matthieu Blazy are going to dress Dancing the Studio, a work by Pam Tanowitz on stage from May 1 to May 5 at the Teatrino. This project is part of Kering’s Maison collaboration with Palazzo Grassi - Punta della Dogana in organizing this cycle of events. Finally, on the occasion of Biennale Arte 2022, Fondazione Prada is going to explore the meanders of the human mind with the exhibition Human Brains: It Begins with an Idea, at its display space Ca' Corner della Regina in Venice from April 23 to November 27. This multidisciplinary project was launched in 2020 and is now at its third edition. The exhibition is preparing for the scientific conference scheduled at the Fondazione’s headquarters in Milan next fall, with the aim to investigate research and developments related to brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases. The exhibition is curated by Udo Kittelmann in collaboration with Taryn Simon. (All rights reserved)