“ICONIC, the carnival of arts”
February 04th – March 12th 2023
Palazzo Nani Mocenigo – ADmore Gallery
Fondamenta Nani 960 Venice, Italy
Hour: 10:00 AM – 06:00 PM
Free entry
Exhibition opening on February 04th, h: 03.30 PM
The Carnival of Venice has deep roots in the tradition of the city that every year is transformed, revealing one of its most characteristic aspects: the communicative power of color.
A document of the Doge Vitale Falier places the birth of the Carnival in 1094. It’s the first surviving evidence of the origins of the Venice Carnival. This ancient institution, wanted by the Venetian oligarchies, comes from the need of the Serenissima, like what already happened in ancient Rome, to dedicate to the people, especially to the humblest classes, a period dedicated exclusively to joy and celebration. These playful moments attracted in the city center: Venetians, travelers and foreigners.
ICONIC, the Carnival of Arts is the international exhibition of contemporary jewelry and visual arts that wants to enhance the ancient tradition of Carnival with ornaments and works capable of striking character and exuberance. In the past, the act of masquerading during the Carnival allowed one to assume a new identity, to abandon the social class, put aside problems and worries finding themselves united during the festival, free to express themselves beyond the rigid limits dictated by the society of the time.
The Cultural Association Arte Design Venezia has asked to selected international artists to create iconic works with a great chromatic impact. Color in this sense acquires a meaning not only playful and fun, but also of hope, vital energy and rebirth.
It is an exhibition concept that invites artists and designers from all over the world to exaggerate, to regain the vital energy limited by the tasks of recent years to let it flow into their creations.
The exhibited works communicate through different artistic languages: contemporary jewelry, bold and unexpected, visual art up to the NFTs, the last frontier of art.
The selected works are housed in a prestigious location, a real treasure chest: the ancient Palazzo Nani Mocenigo now home of the Hotel Nani Mocenigo, a few steps from Le Gallerie dell’Accademia, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute. The triumph of Venetian history welcomes the contemporary in an ever new dialogue, without ever betraying history and tradition.
The event will be held from 4 February to 12 March 2023 in the lively and sparkling context of the Venice Carnival 2023. The exhibition is curated by Eleonora Varotto with the collaboration of Lisa Balasso.
“Man has in his body a Harlequin dress: his soul.“
(Xavier Forneret)
The works on display
Among the contemporary jewelry creations on display are the colorful collection by Andreia Gabriela Popescu (Romania) which offers pieces with fluorescent colors sensitive to UV rays. Renata Dragusin’s creations also come from Romania, the artist has transformed free lines into sinuous and sensual jewelry. The American artist Ruth Santana (USA) evokes ancient myths, dance and theater through pieces with a strong visual impact. Zhuwei Lu (USA) artist of Chinese origin, exhibits three brooches full of lyricism and oriental elegance contaminated by traits typical of Western culture. The journey continues with pieces by Tieke Scheerlinck (Belgium) that spotlight the issue of immigration in the world. Katherine Bennett’s Amended Elements (USA) enchants with her works that reveal a unique perspective of the ongoing struggle for freedom of expression. The bright colors of Vershali Jain (USA) are inspired by Indian celebratory ornaments and celebrate the freshness of new beginnings.
The poetic creations of Catherine Buddle (Australia) transform the technique of crochet into a meditative action that generates jewelry of rare grace and beauty. Antonio dei Rossi (Italy) presents the project architectures to wear inspired by his relationship with Venice, remember that he is the sole heir of the technique of the figurative murrina, lives and works in Burano. The color explodes in the sculptural creations of Marie Therese Wolf (Italy/Austria) that literally brings the rainbow to Venice; the same could be said about the series of pins exhibited by the artist Raquel Bessudo (Mexico). The artist Roberto Zanon (Italy) instead intrigues and deceives the viewer with his volumetric necklaces. The roster of selected artists closes with robotic pieces by Dian Chen (UK) whose pieces praise LGBTQ rights with the intention of reflecting the spirit of mutual respect, gender pride and support for equality.
In the location there are works of visual and digital art. Loris Fagaraz (Italy) craftsman of light, presents an iconic work inspired by pop culture. The Japanese artist Yuki Kaneko (Japan) goes beyond the traditional frontiers of jewelry opening new digital possibilities for creativity. Katya Sudarkina (Armenia) combines art and digital fashion in her creation that investigates the latest visual trends.
