To celebrate our connection to Venice and to one of its most ancient traditions, this year the Tessitura Bevilacqua joins one of the city’s iconic events: the Art Biennale. We’ve prepared an installation dedicated to silk velvets in the Venice Pavilion. And here we’ll reveal you what it is.
Artisanal works of art at the Venice Art Biennale 2017
“Luxus”: that’s the theme connecting all the works exhibited in the Venice Pavilion, during the 57th International Art Exhibition. These creations are emblematic of Venetian craftsmanship and consist of:
- glass;
- mosaic tiles;
- porcelain;
- shoes;
- fabrics.
One of the ambassadors of the last material is Tessitura Bevilacqua. But what do we and the other craftspeople have got to do with a contemporary art exhibition? To tell you that, we need to go back to the origins of this event, to 1895.
The history of the International Art Exhibition in Venice
The Venice Art Biennale was the very first recurrent event dedicated to art. The idea was so successful that it spread all over the world, together with its aim: displaying the art and artisanal works made in a certain country.
The hands of artisans can indeed produce true masterpieces: the word itself “artisan” derives from “art”. And the Venice Biennale has always reserved some space for the unique items they create.
This event has therefore long been part of the history of Venice and has become one of the symbols of this city around the world. And we feel part of this story, too.
Silk and handmade velvets at the Art Biennale 2017
That’s why for this year’s Biennale we’ve chosen a work which could explain our bond with Venice’s history and craftsmanship. And we’ve brought it to one of the pavilions of the Venice Giardini, the Venice Pavilion.
To tell the truth, we’ve already been in this very pavilion: during the Art Biennale 2013. Together with the other 2 historical textile companies of Venice, Rubelli and Fortuny, we had provided some artists with the fabrics they used on their works of art.
For this Biennale we’ve created our own installation, instead: a handloom for the production of silk velvets, similar to those we use in our weaving mill on the Grand Canal, but smaller. You could think of it as the younger brother of the looms our weavers work on, because our Master Craftsman Emanuele Bevilacqua built it using the pieces of one of our antique looms.
A cascade of silk threads hang from the top of this miniature loom, reaching some of the soprarizzo velvets our Tessitura produces.
Would you like to see what it looks like? We’ve given you a sneak peek at it on this page, but if you want to see it with your own eyes, you can find it from May 13th to November 26th 2017, in the Venice Pavilion, in the Venice Giardini.
