Venice’s Fondazione Giorgio Cini is located on San Giorgio Maggiore, a small islet just opposite the entrance to the Canal Grande. There isn’t much on this patch of land. Just an old spired church, greenery, and the foundation’s complex, which looks across the lagoon to St. Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace. The space—43,000 square feet—has rarely been open to the public in its entirety. For three weeks, however, beginning on April 10, the Fondazione Giorgio Cini opens all its spaces to Homo Faber, a major showcase of contemporary artisans.
This year, 15 exhibitions and 60 galleries and ateliers take part in a biennial that focuses on the parallels between Japanese and European masters, an idea sparked by Japan’s tradition of bestowing the title “National Living Treasure” on major artisans who are recognized as a “national heritage” and whose ateliers are subsidized by the government. “These gifted, talented holders of an intangible yet precious artisanal know-how,” explains Alberto Cavalli, the foundation’s executive director and general curator, “are particularly inspiring.”
