Step Inside Milan's Interactive Maze Made Up of Venetian Blinds
In Italy, arts patronage is baked into the national fabric, a patrimony handed down from the Medicis and the Borgias. Today, their role has been taken up by a handful of prominent dynasties in fashion, collectors and benefactors who’ve thrown their financial muscle behind private museums and organizations devoted to nurturing young talent. The Furlanettos, the Bologna family behind the 91-year-old accessories brand Furla, are among the most low key in their efforts, but they have been consistent. The Fondazione Furla, the brainchild of president Giovanna Furlanetto (the daughter of the founder, Aldo), turns ten this year; its annual Art Award, presided in the past by the likes of Vanessa Beecroft and Marina Abramovic, is even older at 15. Inside the Triennale di Milano now is a retrospective of the acclaimed Korean artist Haegue Yang anchored by Cittadella, or Citadel, an installation that invites visitors to step into an elaborate maze made up of 176 venetian blinds. When T&C visited during Milan Fashion Week-just hours before Furla unveiled its Mediterranean-inspired spring 2019 men's and women's collection at the San Carpoforo church in Brera-Yang's installation bathed the gallery at the Triennale in shadows and primary colors, the blinds filtering the natural light coming through the ceiling and windows. It was a mental respite from the marathon of shows and appointments. What does it all have to do with hand-bags, Furla's specialty? Nothing, really. When Furlanetto discusses the project she doesn’t bring up inspirations for the line or the inextricable dialogue between fashion and art. Instead, she talks about the pride of philanthropy, the contribution their support offers to the “cultural life of our city and country.”
Tell me how the Furla Series began. What was your goal in establishing this program, and what message do you hope visitors will walk away with?
In 2017, Fondazione Furla ambitiously set off in a completely new direction and re-launched its program without betraying its underlying spirit and, at the same time, strengthening its identity. The Furla Series, under the artistic direction of Bruna Roccasalva and Vincenzo de Bellis, is a multi-year program of exhibitions and events dedicated to some of the leading contemporary artists in collaboration with Italy’s foremost art institutions. And, it allows the foundation to continue its mission to support the contemporary art scene, develop projects that will always offer the public true opportunities for enrichment. That is what we would like our visitors to understand: the richness and the wide range of experiences that contemporary art has to offer and opening up new perspectives.
How were the artists, both for Series 1 and Series 2, chosen, and what ideas do they telegraph about Furla.
All of the artists were chosen as major proponents of how contemporary art is developing and evolving. All five artists involved in the first edition of the Furla Series represented the multiplicity of approaches to performance, giving a sense of its complex experimentation: From Simone Forti, a leading figure in postmodern dance whose work has profoundly influenced contemporary performance, to Christian Marclay, whose innovative experimentation with sound has inspired an entire generation of musicians and artists. As for the second edition which has a completely different format as a solo show, we focused on the multifaceted nature of Haegue Yang’s ouvre, whose complex language and creative choices have been key in the contemporary art scene. Both projects and the artists involved reflect Furla’s effort to understand our time, but with a glance towards the future.
The Fondazione began as a bridge between art and fashion. Why is that an important value for a luxury brand to communicate today?
Art is one of the most important manifestations of our cultural identity and it can serve as the special “lens” for reading and understanding our time. Both fashion and art deal with creativity, and both can educate people on taste and vision. We support and promote art with our resources, and in return art nourishes our creativity, teaching us how to look at things differently. Furla doesn’t collaborate directly with the artists, as many brands do, but by observing the artistic research we get an idea in advance about "what’s next."
How does the Fondazione distinguish itself from other similar foundations supported by luxury fashion brands, in Italy or elsewhere in Europe?
The project tied to the art world was born with the goal of giving back to Italy through supporting our contemporary art scene, as we are thankful for our Italian roots that have provided the growth of our success in the fashion system. The penchant for collaboration is a unique aspect of Fondazione Furla, which works to promote fruitful cooperation between institutions, in which the public and private spheres work towards a shared vision.
It’s the Fondazione’s 10th anniversary. What are some of the accomplishments in the last decade that you’re proud of.
Fondazione Furla was founded in 2008, but is the result of a longer process that the company began in 2000 with the goal of promoting modern-day Italian culture, supporting young creative talents and contributing to the implementation of new projects. Through the fifteen-year history of the Furla Art Award we provided fundamental support for the growth of young Italian artists, while with the Furla Series we are now enhancing and promoting the presence of contemporary art in our country. I’m proud to have offered, or at least I hope to have offered, an example of how the world of industry and the world of culture can work together to best foster creativity. And I'm also proud of the ability of Fondazione Furla to renew and reinvent itself, to fully understand the long and important history of the award to build a new ambitious path forward.
Furla Series #02, "Haegue Yang: Tightrope Walking and Its Wordless Shadow, is on view at La Triennale di Milano until November 4.
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