The Tamesis
61 Forty-eight hours in Venice during the openingYingshi Art Biennale, you’ll quickly realize that two things make the city tick this time of year: seeing the art on display, and aperitif;The golden hour when the day stops and the cocktails start flowing, and that never really stops.
This was reflected in not one but two parties hosted by Bulgari in honor of three artists they support as part of a wider partnership between the Roman jewelry brand and the Biennale until 2030: Toronto-based Lotus L. Kang, Turin-based Lara Favaretto and Monia Ben Hamouda, who works in al-Qayrawan and Milan.
Kahn’s site-specific installation, a meditation on place, time and memory, is located in the Bulgari Pavilion in the Biennale Gardens, where colorful film reels unfurl, ceramic birds gather on the ceiling and wine bottles from her native South Korea dot the floor.
Meanwhile, in the National Library of Marciana, works by Favaretto and Ben Hamouda are displayed under a room with a ceiling painted by Titian. A striking piece by Ben Hamouda features two neon flames engulfing opposing walls, while Favaretto’s long industrial bookshelf unit housing her own vintage books – each with images neatly folded inside – is an exercise in intimacy, touch and the importance of access to information. As far as she’s concerned, it’s a case Do Touch art. Say, open Darwin’s origin of species A kitschy antique painting of cherubs frolicking in a pastoral scene, or gazing at the mysterious image of a walking man from Pasolini’s work Life Ragaz—A book with such a beautiful cover that I would gladly carry it in my pocket. (I don’t.)
Kahn hosted the first party (Bruce Nauman, Christo, Yoko Ono, etc.) at the arty Venetian Hotel in Venice. That’s because the party was held just a few steps from the Rialto Bridge, and even on a gloomy evening in Venice, the river still beckoned. It’s a face-to-face encounter, so you have to be careful about sampling some Ruinart Champagne or Erose Gin Martini, or eating a very delicious crostino with amberjack carpaccio, or saor-style shrimp with polenta. The atmosphere was definitely celebratory – and why not? This was Kahn’s first time at the Biennale, and friends and well-wishers came to congratulate him.
The next night’s cocktail party was held at the National Library of Marciana, where the crowd walked among Favoretto’s bookshelves. For Laura Burdese, deputy chief executive of Bvlgari, these two days justified a quieter, more cautious approach to supporting the Biennale. Let the art and artists breathe, and be respectful and sensitive by not bombarding the event with brand messaging. “It’s about showcasing our shared vision,” she said of Bulgari’s relationship with the Biennale, “which is about celebrating art and artists in all its forms. Creativity and imagination have no boundaries.” For Burdese, while she is proud that Bulgari is supporting three unique female artists, Monia Ben Hamouda’s participation is particularly special.
The artist’s work thoughtfully explores Western and Islamic art in honor of her Italian and Tunisian heritage. Last year, she received the MAXXI Bvlgari Art Prize, a joint initiative between the brand and the MAXXI Art Museum in Rome.
The neon light of her flames licks the walls high above a Titian painting titled Knowledge, Her work deftly considers learning and how it is manipulated, denied and controlled. As the art crowd streamed into the room, her work casting a red light on them, she was delighted to be participating in the Biennale. “When I was a student, I would sneak into these events,” Ben Hamuda said with a laugh. “But now to be able to show my work here, well, it’s a dream.”
