Along the Grand Canal in Venice, the historic Ca’ d’Oro stands out from the rest: a white, 13th-century palace once owned by Baron Giorgio Franchetti, who loved collecting art and design. Now his passions are brought to life in a new exhibition, just in time for the 58th Venice Biennale. “Dysfunctional,” presented by the Carpenters Workshop Gallery, is being staged at Ca’ d’Oro’s Galleria Giorgio Franchetti. The over 50 works presented in the palace’s exhibition space reflect the achievements of 23 artists, fashion icons, and designers, all of whom blur the boundaries of traditional artistic definitions.
One can’t ignore the baroque pomp of Venice, so the contemporary works here don’t either. From Renaissance paintings to bronze sculptures, this historic mansion–turned–museum (which has its own chapel) is decked out with both contemporary design and century-old art. Fashion designer Virgil Abloh presents “Acqua Alta,” a series of lopsided chairs that invite viewers to consider rising sea levels in a city like Venice. The seemingly sinking pieces of furniture, each of which has a door stopper wedged under one of its legs, fittingly overlook the lagoon.
French artist Michèle Lamy is showing “What Are We Fighting For?”, a series of punching bags that hang in a medieval courtyard. One is studded leather, while another looks like planet Earth. It feels reminiscent of what Joyce Carol Oates once said: “Boxing has become America’s tragic theater.” As Lamy explains to AD PRO: “At the time she said that, there weren’t any women boxers, but now there are more,” she says. “It was a different time—the rules were so strict. Now it’s more of a woman’s sport. It’s more friendly and human. It gives you some kind of joy you can’t explain.”
Meanwhile, fashion designer Rick Owens shows Double Bubble, one of his most well-known pieces, while the Verhoeven Twins show Moments of Happiness, comprising enormous bubbles hanging from the ceiling.
A common theme throughout the exhibition is light. In the leafy courtyard, Spanish artist Nacho Carbonell has created a texture intended to mimic sun-dappled light that washes across the trees. Meanwhile, the design group Random International has taken over a floor with Audience, which features over 120 interactive mirrors that turn (and flicker) in unison in a room full of Roman sculptures.
Amsterdam’s Studio Drift has created Fragile Future Chandelier Venice Mantegna, a LED light frame around Andrea Mantegna’s 16th-century painting of San Sebastian, like a glowing halo that echoes the painting’s own serenity. Each light is inside a dandelion (they call them “dandelights”).
“We feel more distant to the world because of tech, and in this moment, we want to bring nature and humans together,” Ralph Nauta, cofounder of Studio Drift, tells AD PRO. “We think tech needs to resonate more with nature.” Cofounder Lonneke Gordijn adds, “The Renaissance is when humans and nature parted. Five hundred years later, we need to bridge things together again.”
