As part of the patronage project La Grande Bellezza - The Dream Factory, promoted by Starhotels and its Partners (Fondazione Cologni, OMA-Osservatorio dei Mestieri d'Arte and Gruppo Editoriale), Starhotels presents a special exhibition dedicated to the theme of the heart on the occasion of the ‘Homo Faber Event 2024’, as part of the ‘Homo Faber in Città’ programme: a symbolic and iconic theme, which relates to that of The Journey of Life in the new edition of ‘Homo Faber’: in the journey of every man's life, the heart is always at the centre... To celebrate this event and create a sort of significant aesthetic and artistic counterpoint, Starhotels has called on Elica Studio to exhibit its extraordinary porcelain collection In alto i cuori, dense with symbologies and figurative and cultural references. The public of ‘Homo Faber in Città’ will be able to admire the exhibition in the evocative spaces of the Splendid Venice, the hospitality pearl of the well-known hotel chain and symbol of the Italian Lyfestile. The exhibition will be open to the public with free admission from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. throughout the duration of ‘Homo Faber’, from 1 to 30 September.
Among their many recognitions and awards, they received the MAM-Maestro d'arte e Mestiere Award in 2022, dedicated to the great creators of Italian savoir-faire. Perhaps their most iconic work is the In alto i cuori collection: the project, which began in 2009 and continues to this day, reinterprets the theme of the heart in the form of a vase, as a container for flowers, ideas, messages, decorated with letters, numbers and figures painted with a brush, small handmade sculptures for contemporary messages written in a universal language.
The idea that inspires this collection is the use of a pop icon like the heart, reinterpreted in the form of a vase, with anatomical references and a strongly Italian character. In alto i cuori, translation from the Latin ‘Sursum Corda’, is an installation of wall or countertop elements in porcelain, designed and handmade by Elica Studio. The heart is the organ that every human being cannot live without, even in a figurative sense: no one can live without love. The project is in progress and envisages the creation of 90 pieces, as many as the numbers of the Smorfia napoletana; a collection of particular ex-votos in porcelain decorated with graphic and sculptural motifs. The heart as a container: of flowers, of ideas, of messages, decorated with writings, images, plastic elements: letters, numbers and figures painted with a brush. They are small handmade sculptures for contemporary messages written in a universal language. Every heart has its own rhythm, its own beat, its own meaning, between irony and divertissement, many different messages to talk about love: ironic, passionate, lyrical, frivolous, cultured... In alto i cuori scents of Italy because it comes from a millenary ceramic tradition and from a great culture between design and high craftsmanship, in which always, high and low, courtly and pop, sacred and profane are mixed to write a colourful hymn to the beauty and uniqueness of life.
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Find more about the exhibition
In addition to the special appointment at the Splendid Venice - Starhotels Collezione, the "Homo Faber in Città" itineraries to create and personalise are many and varied. The days and opening hours of the workshops are available at homofaber.com and on the dedicated APP.
Visit the dedicated page homofaber.com/it/in-citta
