This Spring, luxury travel brand Belmond joins forces once again with art space Galleria Continua for the second edition of MITICO, a sweeping presentation of site-specific art installations on the grounds of seven striking Belmond hotels across the globe. From La Residencia in Mallorca, Spain, to Grand Hotel Timeo in Taormina, Italy, to the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, each property offers a nuanced canvas, further elevating the thought-provoking works of art. International artists Arcangelo Sassolino, Yoan Capote, Sun Yuan and Peng Yu, Nari Ward, and Loris Cecchini spotlight the complex intersection of humanity, mother Earth’s bounty, and technology, allowing their unique installations, set within dynamic landscapes, to fully engage hotel guests and visitors alike in a journey to further appreciate their environment and experience.
Belmond’s La Residencia in Mallorca featuring Arcangelo Sassolino in situ, photo by Marco Valmarana, courtesy of Belmond and Galleria Continua.
Belmond’s La Residencia in Mallorca featuring Arcangelo Sassolino in situ with the artist, photo by Marco Valmarana, courtesy of Belmond and Galleria Continua.
Within Mallorca’s Serra de Tramuntana, a tremendous mountain range, the glamorous and bohemian La Residencia Hotel is an iconic sanctuary for artists of all kinds. There in May, Sassolino debuted Hunger (2006/7), an inky black hydraulic claw, operated by an oil pump, which menacingly attempts to break into the concrete ground beneath it, currently on view through October. Resembling an ominous spider, with its sharp steel blades and side-to-side rhythm, the work speaks to the aggression and carnage that human beings have unleashed against the natural environment. Juxtaposed with the thriving gardens surrounding La Residencia, Hunger is an emotional reminder that we play a significant role in the protection and livelihood of the world’s natural treasures.
Belmond’s Villa Sant’Andrea & Grand Hotel Timeo in Taormina featuring Yoan Capote in situ with the artist, photo by Federico Ciamei, courtesy of Belmond and Galleria Continua.
Belmond’s Villa Sant’Andrea & Grand Hotel Timeo in Taormina featuring Yoan Capote in situ, photo by Federico Ciamei, courtesy of Belmond and Galleria Continua.
Capote’s deft works of bronze at the Grand Hotel Timeo in the ethereal Taormina Hills of Italy symbolize human beings’ acts of rebellion in the wake of overwhelming pressures, currently on view through October. Stress, in which large-scale, gleaming handcuffs lock around two growing olive trees, along with additional works such as On our shoulders, Urban Nature, Speechless, and Self-portrait, are poetic warnings of the relationship we have with our environment. While the majestic Mount Etna volcano nearby sparks a conversation of mother nature’s own acts of revolution. In January 2024, Capote will also present Family Portrait (2022) at the seaside Taormina Mare, Villa Sant’Andrea. Evoking memories of Capote’s homeland of Cuba, and the impassioned song Foto de familia by Carlos Varela, unfolding glass cases and mirrors will capture both the monumental freedoms and harrowing tribulations of the epic sea.
Belmond’s Villa San Michele in Florence featuring Sun Yuan and Peng Yu in situ, photo by Marco Valmarana, courtesy of Belmond and Galleria Continua.
Winding through the 16th-century monastery of Villa San Michele in Florence, Italy, Sun Yuan and Peng Yu’s “Teenager & Teenager” exhibition is a satirical ode to modern miscommunication, currently on view through September 17. Figures whose heads have been replaced by giant rocks, relax in armchairs and sofas in the halls of the hotel, unconcerned with the spectacular Renaissance art which envelops them. Not only are visitors unable to see eye to eye with their skillfully recreated counterparts, the sculptures are purposely distanced from one another, provoking a humorous yet profound dialogue on modern society and all the beauty that surrounds us which we may fail to see.
Belmond’s Castello di Casole in Tuscany featuring Nari Ward in situ, photo by Marco Valmarana, courtesy of Belmond and Galleria Continua.
Ward’s imaginative presentation of Stallers (2013) at the picturesque Castello di Casole hotel in the Tuscan countryside invites visitors to bask in the peaceful warmth of early childhood, currently on view through November 12. Larger-than-life strollers set within heavenly gardens invite viewers for a respite from adult routines and responsibilities. Playing with the verb “to stall,” the artist inspires people of all ages to meditate on where they came from, the human beings they have grown into, and who they want to become going forward.
Belmond’s Castello di Casole in Tuscany featuring Nari Ward in situ and the artist, photo by Marco Valmarana, courtesy of Belmond and Galleria Continua.
Coming in July, Cecchini will show Arborexence (2023) at Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons in charming Oxfordshire, England. Tracing the lines of the property’s immaculate gardens and vibrant ivy, hypnotic stainless steel lattice work will embrace the hotel’s facade, rejoicing in the scientific perfection of nature’s four seasons and our duty to conserve and nurture our mighty yet delicate environment.
