The Image of the City at Palazzo Venart combines art, craftsmanship, and architecture: Jacopo Ascari, in collaboration with Venetian master artisans, reinterprets Venice, Rome, Milan, and Florence through maps and installations
Palazzo Venart Luxury Hotel presents The Image of the City – architectural narratives for a contemporary Renaissance, an exhibition by Jacopo Ascari and a project curated by Venezia da Vivere for Palazzo Venart and LDC Hotels & Resorts Group: a year of work involving the artist and Venetian master artisans.
From October 26 to November 30, 2024
Palazzo Venart Luxury Hotel, Calle Tron 1961, Santa Croce
On Friday, October 25 at Palazzo Venart, as part of the Venice Fashion Week 2024 calendar, Jacopo Ascari, in conversation with Matteo Ward, will discuss the variations of his work interpreting the cities of Venice, Rome, Milan, and Florence.
Following the opening, the exhibition will be open to the public by appointment from October 26 to November 30, 2024.
The LDC Group commissioned Lorenzo Cinotti of Venezia da Vivere to curate an original project involving the artist and illustrator Jacopo Ascari and representatives of Venetian high craftsmanship, to interpret the locations that comprise the LDC Hotels Italy collection: Venice, Rome, Milan, and Florence, narrated through Ascari’s works and four fantastical maps that reimagine the cities.
“The exhibition is an illustrated journey through Italian capitals, an aesthetic experience that portrays more fundamentally human values: the measure of existence and the memory of places, the recognizability of the cities’ memory, and above all the identity dimension of Venice, Rome, Milan, and Florence” comments Jacopo Ascari. “Alongside the large reproductions of these cities understood as ‘civitas,’ or communities conscious of themselves, there are specific illustrations dedicated to the magnificent boutique hotels of the LDC group, true theaters of Italian fine living opening to the world, portrayed as windows alternating views of interiors and perspectives on buildings understood as ‘pieces of the city.’”
Venetian Master Artisans Involved
To enhance the artist’s work and celebrate the city of Venice, Lorenzo Cinotti chose to place Jacopo’s works within wood and mosaic structures, custom-made by two Venetian artisan companies: Lunardelli Venezia for the wooden frames, and Orsoni Venezia 1888 furnace for the glass enamel and gold leaf mosaics that decorate them.
The atelier Ramosalso, through a process of upcycling precious fabrics, created the protective coverings for the works.
The large frames, like Renaissance viewing chambers, redefine the concept of monumentality, bringing it into the present.
“Palazzo Venart is not only a residence of extraordinary historical and artistic value, but a precious place that evokes Venice’s illustrious past and connects with the city’s deepest soul” states Luana Mazzega, General Manager of Palazzo Venart, one of the six jewels that comprise the LDC ITALY collection. “Through the marvelous works commissioned from Jacopo Ascari and the collaboration of distinguished master artisans such as Lunardelli and Orsoni, Palazzo Venart itself becomes a canvas that reflects and enhances cultural dialogue, fostering an authentic connection with Venice’s artistic tradition. It is wonderful to see this small boutique hotel transform into a vibrant container of culture.”
“It is a project that interweaves art, architecture, high craftsmanship, and visual narrative. We asked Jacopo to reinterpret the cities of Venice, Rome, Florence, and Milan, transforming historic spaces such as Palazzo Venart and Palazzo Portinari Salviati into architectural worlds where different temporal dimensions coexist” states Lorenzo Cinotti of Venezia da Vivere. “The fantastical maps of the four cities and the wooden frames, created by Lunardelli Venezia, enriched with mosaics by Orsoni and upcycled fabrics by Ramosalso, celebrate Italian art and architecture and Venetian craftsmanship in a contemporary key. As Maurizio Nannucci states with the installation ‘All Art Has Been Contemporary’ exhibited at the Altes Museum in Berlin in 1999/2000, every art, in its time, has been contemporary, and this project expresses a harmonious synthesis between tradition and innovation.”
Following the opening, the exhibition will be open to the public by appointment from October 26 to November 30, 2024, and after the exhibition the works will travel to Taiwan.
To book your free visit: info.venart@ldchotels.com; +39.041.5233784.
Venice Fashion Week is a project by Venezia da Vivere and is part of the Major Events of the Municipality of Venice.
With the patronage of Municipality of Venice, Cologni Foundation for Crafts and Arts, Veneto Fashion Board (Confindustria, CNA; Confartigianato, Confesercenti, Confcommercio), Piazza San Marco Association and the partnership of Vela Spa.
Event Partners: Venice Design Week, Venice Cocktail Week, Un Gomitolo a Venezia, Serra dei Giardini di Venezia and NonSoloVerde, DR Light & Design.
Special thanks to: Seguso Vetri d’Arte, Bellini by Canella, Ca’ Sagredo Hotel, Palazzo Venart Luxury Hotel, Hotel Saturnia & International.
To learn about programs in advance and be informed of events, subscribe to the newsletter.
Venice Fashion Week is a culture and fashion event created in 2013 by Venezia da Vivere, a Venetian company specializing in digital communication, city projects, and events.
Photos by Settimo Cannatella, Igor Serdyukov, Marta Formentello, Michela Finocchiaro and by @atmolex with @KatiaMi (Instagram accounts).
