True Craftsmanship Takes Center Stage at Venice's Homo Faber

September 2, 2024

Luca Guadagnino, the Italian director of films including Call Me by Your Name and Challengers, is a busy man. His new movie, Queer, based on the novel by William S. Burroughs and starring Daniel Craig, premieres on September 3 at the Venice Film Festival. Another, a #MeToo-themed film set in academia and starring Julia Roberts, is currently being shot at Shepperton Studios. Last month, he was in Rome for the opening of a new five-star hotel— the Palazzo Talia. That’s another kind of Guadagnino production: he set up an interior design studio in 2017 and has already furnished a number of World of Interiors-worthy homes.

He also found time this year to create the scenography for Homo Faber—a huge show of contemporary craft at Venice’s Fondazione Cini that opened on September 1. “I wanted to envelop the audience, through the amazing architecture of the Fondazione” said the director at the end of last week, while crediting co-collaborator architect Nicolo Rosmarini. who works at his design studio.

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      Clotilde Ancarani

      Clotilde Ancarani, an Italian sculptural furniture designer, pushes the boundaries between art and functional design. In her Brussels (Belgium) studio, nature subtly takes center stage. Ancarani meticulously crafts unique bronze pieces using the "intaglio" technique, marrying bold forms with practical functions. Her innovative approach is characterized by the contradiction between her subjects—spectacular yet naturally fragile vegetation—and the treatment she imposes on them using heavy, cold materials.

      Each of Ancarani's creations challenges the viewer's perceptions: on one hand, the delicacy of nature perceived by our eyes; on the other, the hardness of bronze felt by our hands. She thus invites us to rethink space and our interaction with everyday objects. Her furniture, both aesthetic and utilitarian, captures the attention of contemporary art lovers seeking exceptional pieces that transcend traditional design boundaries. The paradox found in her works also alludes to another dimension of her creative intent. "I want to pay homage to the fragility, but above all to the resilience of women and nature." she says. With her fragile and ephemeral subjects, Clotilde invites the viewer to reflect on their own vulnerability

      Ancarani’s work has been exhibited internationally at Design Miami Paris (2024), Miami (2023) and Basel (2019 & 2018), at the three last year’s PAD fairs in London and Paris as well as at AD 100 (Paris), Collectible in Brussels, Homo Faber 2024 in Venice, Singapore and Dubai.

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