All the way from Venice, Glasstress arrives at the Venaria Reale, the first edition in Italy proposed outside the Venetian lagoon of the major international exhibition project conceived and produced by Fondazione Berengo. For the first time in its history, Glasstress overtakes two Royal Residences, placing itself in dialogue with the courtly environments of Reggia di Venaria and Castello della Mandria, enriching the itineraries with a selection of works created from 2013 to present day in Adriano Berengo’s furnace on the island of Murano.
The exhibition presents some of the most interesting names in the world of contemporary art, called to confront the material of glass, often considered only for its functional and decorative value, as a new expressive medium.
Within the show we encounter a still life in sandblasted glass by Belgian Hans Op de Beeck, the hand-blown glass experiments of English artist Tony Cragg and German artist Thomas Schütte in various colours and textures, the cast glass head of Italian artist Vanessa Beecroft, pictorial blocks in the form of a totemic tower by Irish artist Sean Scullyand the elegant suspended spheres of Korean artist Koo Jeong A, fresh from the Venice Biennale.
Several works by Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei draw inspiration from historical sources and reinterpret them with a contemporary twist, while the hybrid works of Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen use marble statues as the base for explorations in glass. A surreal touch is present in Spanish artist Jaume Plensa’s poetic curtain evoking William Blake, in French artist Laure Prouvost’s teapot whose spout extends like a curious nose, and in Brazilian artist Vik Muniz’s gigantic Murano glasses, while a pair of shoes sprouts from Austrian artist Erwin Wurm’s hot water bottle, ready to take a step into the unknown.
EXHIBITION FACTS
The Best of Glasstress Reggia di Venaria and Castello della Mandria 5 July - 10 November 2024 curated by Guido Curto and Adriano Berengo La Venaria Reale
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