On April 21, “Dancing Studies,” a program of performances supported by Bottega Veneta debuted at Pinault Collection in Venice. The ongoing series is inspired by the exhibition “Bruce Nauman: Contrapposto Studies” at the Punta della Dogana until November 27.
Choreographed by William Forsythe, Lenio Kaklea, Ralph Lemon, and Pam Tanowitz, the performances will take place through early May with costumes designed by Matthieu Blazy for Bottega Veneta. Compressed metal cubes from the brand’s past winter collection are also used as props for the series. “Dancing Studies” evokes Bruce Nauman’s explorations of the “Contrapposto,” a classical art term which refers to the pose of a standing figure weighted on one leg, with the upper and lower body turned in opposite ways—–a figure in search of balance.
Performance view of Lenio Kaklea, Venice, 2022, courtesy of the artist.
The collaboration was celebrated over the weekend with a performance by Kaklea followed by an intimate dinner for 50 guests. The occasion marked Kaklea’s return to Italy after her prize reception from the Hermès Italia Foundation and the Triennale di Milano in 2020.
In the atrium of Palazzo Grassi on April 22 and 23, Kaklea performed a duet with pianist Orlando Baas inspired by John Cage’s Sonatas and Interludes. The work comprise a cycle of 20 pieces for the piano intended to convey the balance of unorthodox sources of musical sound through the Eastern philosophical lens which drove the composer’s output at the close of the 1940s.
Performance view of Lenio Kaklea, Venice, 2022, courtesy of the artist.
Performance view of Lenio Kaklea, Venice, 2022, courtesy of the artist.
While in Venice, Bottega Veneta released a capsule collection of Cabat bags inspired by Olivetti typewriters available exclusively at its Venice store, as well as debuted the first campaign from its new Creative Director Blazy at Chiesa San Geremia, shot by Malik Bodian.
