Homo Faber 2024: The Journey of Life celebrates craftsmanship in Venice

The Homo Faber exhibition, curated by filmmaker Luca Guadagnino and architect Nicolò Rosmarini, opened at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini on the Isola di San Giorgio in Venice, running until September 30, 2024. The event, conceived by Hanneli Rupert, vicepresident of the Michelangelo Foundation, showcases the best of international craftsmanship under the theme 'The Journey of Life.' Mirrors placed throughout the venue—from the entrance to the garden and inside the spaces—serve as a symbolic red thread, reminding visitors that they are the protagonists of this existential journey. The exhibition is structured around life stages: birth in the cloister, childhood with an immersive installation featuring designer toys in a room paying homage to architect Carlo Scarpa, celebration with a grand table of objects and synthetic desserts, a multimedia space on heritage, love through fragile floral compositions in glass and precious stones, a spectacular dream room with female figures floating on a water mirror and surreal masks, and finally the afterlife with ritual objects from various cultures. Guadagnino stated that his work is to tell a story based on given coordinates, and the universal concept of 'The Journey of Life' pushed the team to envelop the public within the incredible architecture of the Fondazione Cini without overwhelming the works. He cited inspirations from Carlo Scarpa to the history of Venice as an art city.