“Like a silk worm that has to walk on the ground” is an exhibition born out of a collaboration with Tessitura Luigi Bevilacqua that showcases new works by artist Matteo Valerio. We present it to you.
The evocative qualities of textiles
The works created by Matteo Valerio arise from a personal interpretation of the ancient silk fabrics of our Tessitura and represent an ongoing dialogue between the history of Venetian painting and the art of weaving. This series of works amplifies the imagery of the city of Venice and the iconic textiles of the Tessitura Bevilacqua, evoking dissonant elements, silences and superimpositions, casting sublime unconscious shadows.
Precious textile scraps, dyed with natural colors such as cochineal, indigo, woad, weld and madder, were transformed into canvases through ancient techniques of embroidery and printing, creating intricately articulated compositions. The works reflect the history of pictorial and dye pigments, drawing from tracts collected from the 1727 biography “The Demons” by Alvisa Zambelli. This artwork explores the collision of the demonic and the sacred and the inner transformation from instability, darkness and disquiet to purification, illumination and comfort.
The velvets, brocatelles, lampas and damasks of the Tessitura Bevilacqua are the bridge between the present and the history of the material, its provenance, and the production and mercantile systems associated with it. Textiles are also recognized for their ability to gather psychological, mysterious and dreamy decodings, especially when imagined on the skin of Venice in different eras.
The exhibition also features two ceramic sculptures representing the inner vortex of emotions and aspirations. The sound of silkworms eating mulberry leaves is evoked by these sculptures and calls to mind the living processes behind the creation of textiles.
Artist Matteo Valerio
Matteo Valerio was born in Florida and trained at the Academy of Venice, then earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Central Saint Martins. His work draws inspiration from a comparison between current reality and legends of the past, in an analysis of the tensions between the frenetic pace of contemporary production systems and the solidity of nature in its restorative potential. Exploring craft practices, he bases his artwork on understanding the evocative qualities embedded in a material, which becomes part of a larger narrative composed of textiles, processes, and prints.
Other actors involved in the project
An important role in the realization of the project was played by two Venetian organizations, CREA and AIKU.
CREA – Cantieri del Contemporaneo is an artistic and cultural project based on the island of Giudecca in Venice that seeks to create a link between traditional craftsmanship related to minor Venetian shipbuilding and the visual arts. The goal is to preserve the local and traditional reality of Venice through the creation of exhibitions by national and international artists.
The enhancement of craftsmanship is also the characteristic expressed by Matteo Valerio through his artistic artifacts, which emphasize the sphere of savoir-faire and hand-making.
The AIKU – Arte Impresa Cultura center at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice is concerned with analyzing and promoting the interaction between art, business, and culture, which is a significant part of today’s hybrid and interdisciplinary reality. Operating at the Ca’ Foscari University Foundation, AIKU represents the university’s commitment to the transmission of knowledge elaborated by the university and the gathering of the needs of productive realities.
About the exhibition
Like a silk worm that has to walk on the ground – by Matteo Valerio
Curated by Pier Paolo Scelsi and Sabrina Comin
In collaboration with:
Tessitura Luigi Bevilacqua, Venice
CREA Cantieri del Contemporaneo, Venice
Event presented as part of the PIC – Patrimonio Industriale Contemporaneo project.
Promoted by the center Aiku – Arte Impresa Cultura of Ca’ Foscari University Venice
Location: “Spazio Legno & Legno” of CREA – Giudecca, 211 – Venice
March 16 to April 16, 2023
Hours: Fri Sat Sun 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Free entrance
