Homo Faber 2024: The Journey of Life, the third edition of a groundbreaking showcase of contemporary craftsmanship, has opened its doors to the public from 1-30 September 2024 at Fondazione Giorgio Cini, San Giorgio Maggiore island, Venice, Italy.
This is a report from the event that features more than 800 objects by over 400 artisans from 70 countries around the world, representing 105 different crafts, with live demonstrations by independent artisans and prestigious maisons.
About Homo Faber 2024
This grand Homo Faber event is organized by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship and its partners. Homo Faber 2024: The Journey of Life invites visitors to explore the essential role handmade objects play in our daily lives.
Through the theme The Journey of Life, devised by the Foundation’s Vice-Chair, Hanneli Rupert, and interpreted by Art Directors Luca Guadagnino and Nicolò Rosmarini, the exhibition showcases exquisite objects by artisans from all over the world, revealing how craftsmanship is woven into the fabric of our lives. The bespoke backgammon set gifted from grandfather to grandchild, the handcrafted accessories that evoke memories of a woman’s round-the-world trip, the crystal glasses used to toast a couple’s wedding day: it’s objects like these that help us to create precious and meaningful moments.
Hanneli Rupert said:
“I chose the theme The Journey of Life because I wanted something simple that would resonate globally, and simultaneously allow us to show, for the first time, works from around the world. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the beauty and simplicity of vision with which Luca Guadagnino and Nicolò Rosmarini could have interpreted this. I am particularly excited by the geographic variety of crafts and skillsets that we are showcasing side by side, many of which urgently need help to keep them alive for future generations to appreciate.”
Luca Guadagnino said:
“My job has always been to find a way to tell a story within the coordinates that I’m given. This amazing and very streamlined and universal concept of the Journey of Life really led us to understand how to envelope the audience through the amazing architecture of the Fondazione Cini so that the craft on display was not going to be overwhelmed but at the same time the place itself was given a lot of relevance. It has been a tremendous experience of reflection on many of the great inspirations that have led our ideas, from Carlo Scarpa to the memory and history of Venice as a city of art.”
Nicolò Rosmarini commented:
“We wanted to create incredible moments through large scale installations but also a harmonious journey through all the rooms. We went into detail with every single element in the rooms, which was an amazing collaboration with the greatest artisans and experts to create elements that show incredible values and craftsmanship. It’s been amazing to be faced with the architecture of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini and try to emphasise it but also play with it.”
Alberto Cavalli, Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation, added: “Luca Guadagnino and Nicolò Rosmarini have developed a true artisan’s attention to spaces, atmospheres and details, placing the objects in an evocative, authorial and truly precious narrative. From some 70 countries around the world, the 800 works on display have been made by artisans who, with their talent, tell of a precious and unexpected diversity.”
An Inspiring Creative Vision
Finally unveiled, the extraordinary scenography staged throughout the magnificent indoor and outdoor spaces of Fondazione Giorgio Cini leads visitors on a metaphorical journey through human life, from birth to the afterlife.
Drawing on his deep fascination with the art of making, along with his immense creative capacity, whether as a filmmaker or designer, Luca Guadagnino (A Bigger Splash, Call Me By Your Name) has teamed up with Milanese architect Nicolò Rosmarini to create an enchanting experience that is by turns whimsical and profound. The journey begins at a playful ticket office, where visitors take their first steps onto a colorful passerelle that winds through the gardens and links each exhibition space. A cohesive narrative thread is created with the help of recurrent motifs: mirrors, which reflect the island’s natural surroundings and enhance the power of the sun; and pleated fabric walls, an homage to Guadagnino’s hero, the Venetian-born designer Carlo Scarpa. Along the way, visitors will encounter, among other things, a pair of 12m-high paper mache cypress trees, a dream-like reimagining of the Cini’s former swimming pool, and a forest of chandeliers descending from the ceiling of the Sala degli Arazzi. In all, this elegant, timeless vision invites visitors to appreciate the democracy of creativity and the poetry of impermanence as they explore an island filled with beauty by talented craftspeople.
An Immersive Experience Every Day
Throughout the ten themed exhibition spaces and beyond, visitors are completely immersed in craftsmanship. A daily program of live demonstrations, participatory workshops, and gourmet experiences allows each individual to curate their perfect visit according to their interests.
The visitors of Homo Faber 2024 could immerse in many things to see and do:
- Discover the creativity, talent, and deep passion that animate artisans worldwide, thanks to the selection of objects displayed in the ten exhibition spaces.
- Meet independent craftspeople and artisans from prestigious maisons and watch them demonstrate the techniques of creating vases, lace, globes, watches, jewelry, shoes, writing instruments, and more.
- Collaborate with Maison Lesage on the creation of Murmuration, an imposing embroidery depicting a huge flock of starlings.
- Join participatory workshops in pocket globe making and Japanese bookbinding, guided by master artisans and presented by Mazda.
- Speak with the Young Ambassadors, talented young applied arts and design students from around the world, who are present in the exhibition spaces to guide and inform visitors.
- Discover a new vision of Venetian culinary traditions at the island’s yacht club, transformed into Ristorante La Vela, where Salvatore Sodano, head chef at Local, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Venice, presents a fine dining menu of contemporary Venetian dishes. The space is enhanced by wallpaper by de Gournay, artistic tableware by Christofle, bespoke furniture by Dante Negro, and cushions created using precious Fortuny fabrics.
- Enjoy a spritz, gelato, or some Venetian cicchetti – bite-sized nibbles traditionally served with a drink as an aperitif – at La Cicchetteria.
- Have lunch or coffee inside the Journeys exhibition space where a travel-themed Tea Room offers a menu by Genuino drawing on the flavors of the ancient trade routes, to be enjoyed on bespoke Cappellini furniture and with beautiful Christofle tableware. Or order in the magical garden and relax on handcrafted chairs and sofas by Dante Negro and cushions made with Fortuny fabrics.
- Browse a meaningful selection of merchandise in the Homo Faber Shop.
The 'Afterlife' Space Featuring Katya Hutter and Cedric Laquieze
Since the offer of exhibitions is quite extensive, as an example of what's on display let's head to the 'Afterlife'.
As the journey of life comes to an end, the 'Afterlife' exhibition explores how we celebrate, commemorate, and mourn a person’s passage into the afterlife. Objects related to death and funerary rites such as urns, candles, and sculpted coffins reveal craftsmanship’s age-old role in the rituals and traditions surrounding death in different cultures around the world. The space also includes decorative works inspired by mortality, including skulls made from feathers, paper, ceramics, and wax, sculptures using animal bones, and insect-themed pieces evoking the natural cycle of death, transformation, and rebirth.
Amsterdam-based art friends sculpture artist Cedric Laquieze and floral designer Katya Hutter have put their collective skills into an artwork that is displayed at the 'Afterlife' exhibition space. They have named their artwork 'Throne of the Rose Fairy', a piece about which you could read already in Katya's blog on Thursd.
This throne-like piece was crafted from diverse bones and skeletal structures into a flower-like design on which a fairy made from real insect parts is dancing around preserved roses, as though frozen in time.
Homo Faber Awards 2024
New for this edition, every artisan exhibiting at Homo Faber 2024 had a chance of winning one of three awards, voted for by the public, invited journalists, and the Young Ambassadors respectively. It’s the perfect way for visitors to show their support and appreciation for the artisans whose work is on display. The three winning objects will be announced on the final day of Homo Faber 2024, with each winning artisan granted a €10,000 prize, thanks to the support of Via Arno, a new company that connects artisans with people who want access to the best craftsmanship from around the world.
Homo Faber in the City
And finally, away from San Giorgio Maggiore island, Homo Faber in Città invites visitors to enrich their experience by exploring artisanal workshops across Venice. Developed by Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte, with the support of Cartier and in collaboration with prestigious Venetian institutions, the program sees 70 ateliers throw open their doors to the public. All the workshops are free to visit without pre-booking, within specified times. Events, exhibitions, and presentations enhance the experience, including an exhibition entitled L’Italia nel cuore at the Hotel Splendid Venice – Starhotels Collezione, and a series of events each Wednesday evening at the Fondaco dei Tedeschi.
Homo Faber 2024: The Journey of Life takes place in Venice from 1 to 30 September. It is the third edition of the Homo Faber Biennial, a celebration of contemporary craftsmanship curated by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, a non-profit institution based in Switzerland, which champions craftspeople worldwide with the aim of promoting a more human, inclusive, and sustainable future.
Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d'Arte is an institutional partner of Homo Faber 2024, playing a pivotal role in the development of Homo Faber in Città. Based in Milan, it promotes cultural, scientific, and educational initiatives for the protection and diffusion of artistic crafts and its purpose is to rescue them from the threat of extinction by fostering a 'new Renaissance'.
Fondazione Giorgio Cini, established in 1951, is a unique treasure chest of literary, artistic, musical, and archival treasures. Based on San Giorgio Maggiore island in Venice, it is a meeting point of different cultures and ideas, a place for humanistic research and the dissemination of knowledge.
Open daily from 1- 30 September. Tickets for Homo Faber 2024: The Journey of Life cost €16 full price (reductions available). Buy tickets on homofaber.com, limited tickets are available on-site. Full details of all activities and experiences are available on homofaber.com.
Header and feature image: 'Composition 5 - Modern Love' by Permaflora Manufacture. Photo by Alexandre Vazquez ©Michelangelo Foundation.
All photos courtesy of ©Michelangelo Foundation.
