Four QEST Scholars to Feature at Homo Faber Venice 2022
18th January 2022
Homo Faber returns to Venice in 2022 to unveil an unprecedented cultural experience of craftsmanship with 15 immersive exhibitions, including QEST D’Oyly Carte Foundation Scholar and basket weaver Annemarie O’Sullivan, QEST Scholar, stone carver and sculptor, Andrian Melka, QEST Scholar and luthier Shem Mackey and QEST Scholar, whip maker and leather worker Mary Wing To.
For its second edition, the event looks to highlight the excellence of master craftsmanship internationally. With a special focus on craftspeople from Japan, it spotlights the country’s venerated craftsmanship traditions and time-honoured skills, and showcases its influence on European creativity and craftsmanship. Together, the exhibition spaces showcase a diverse array of materials and expertise, from traditional skills in danger of being lost to the most cutting-edge contemporary techniques.
The event champions talented artisans from across the globe, their cherished savoir-faire, their unique stories, and the territorial influences that enrich their masterpieces. Some of the exhibition spaces invite visitors to meet the artisans and share moments with them as they work, while others animate craft with their scenography. Visitors have the chance to explore the connection between contemporary craftsmanship and the wider arts and design world. In one exhibition space, the world’s most prestigious luxury brands reveal the craftsmanship behind their pieces; in another, a rendering by director Robert Wilson of an iconic evocation of Puccini’s opera, Madama Butterfly, takes visitors on a theatrical journey. The role of next generation automata will also be explored, while a crafted tea room considers the relationship craftsmanship has with our everyday lives. Elsewhere, artisans and ateliers reveal the essential role of the artisanal touch in creating design pieces.
Guided by a philosophy of sustainability, the event highlights the importance of making crafts viable and safeguarding them for the future, with a strong focus on the next generation through interactive and informative educational activities aimed at different age groups. The Young Ambassador Programme will animate the exhibition spaces with its talented students. Selected from the best applied arts and design schools across Europe, they will be on hand to offer visitors guided tours.
With Europe’s treasure trove as its starting point, the exhibition broadens its horizons to explore the entwining cultural relationship between Europe and Japan. Homo Faber Event 2022 honours the official recognition that Japan gives to its finest masters, designated as keepers of important intangible cultural properties. Visitors can admire the exceptional objects handcrafted by 12 National Living Treasures – exquisite porcelain, a lacquered harp, hand-dyed kimonos and much more. An evocative photography exhibition by Rinko Kawauchi transports visitors behind the scenes into the secret ateliers of these prized master artisans.
The event offers the public a rare opportunity to explore San Giorgio Maggiore island and the magnificent structures of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in an exhibition that covers nearly 4,000 square metres. Rooms such as the Longhena Library and Gandini swimming pool, usually closed to the public, will open especially on the occasion of the event, transformed into scenes where craft takes centre stage and visitors can partake in the experience.
Beyond the walls of Fondazione Giorgio Cini, the Homo Faber in Città project allows visitors to experience secret Venice, exploring the craftsmanship hidden between the city’s canals through exclusive visits to Venetian artisans’ workshops and ateliers, museums, shops and more. Using the app or website, visitors will be able to create bespoke self-guided craft tours and experience the city in a completely new way.
Homo Faber 2022 key facts and figures:
15 exhibitions
22 curators and designers
12 Japanese National Living Treasures
A showcase of over 400 unique objects
Crafted by over 350 designers and artisans
From over 30 countries
Over 60 immersive experiences
