Padiglione Venezia - Silk Map

On the occasion of the 55th International Art Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia (1 June – 24 November 2013), the Venice Pavilion is returning to its original vocation (it was conceived to house outstanding works in the decorative arts), paying tribute to the “soft art”, weaving, with five artists from Italy and the East.

Uniting the East and West from ancient times, the products that were so sought after by the European elite, religions, cultures and technologies were transported along the “silk roads”, mainly on land, but also via the sea.

Venice was the destination for this trade, both in its commercial bases from the Byzantine, Persia, the Middle East and the capital itself. And as early as the twelfth century, it also became a production centre for valuable fabrics and was soon producing goods of such outstanding quality that the trend was inverted and the goods were exported to the markets of Constantinople.

Our partners, Bevilacqua, Fortuny and Rubelli, renowned and of the greatest professionalism in Venice, are the heirs of these craftsmen’s success and despite the difficult times, are still working, producing and creating in Venice, following in the wake of this great legacy.

Of diverse origins, from the East and West, the artists selected were invited to confront these productions with their past of exchange, technical innovations, ancient decorative motifs, as well as a great ability for renewal and experimentation of new paths of inspiration.

AES+F, Marya Kazoun, Mimmo Roselli, Shilpa Gupta, Marialuisa Tadei, and Yiqing Yin, coordinated by Ewald Statsny are engaged in this tradition and journey of knowledge, along the roads of the East, re-inventing traditional materials and/or imagining free inventions, creating six exclusive works for the Pavilion and city.

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