This spring, the 59th Venice Biennale once again put Venice in one of the world's spotlights. Outside of the Art Biennale, HOMOFABER's event coverage even surpassed that of the Biennale. This craft-themed event, initiated by the Michelangelo Foundation to support talented artisans from around the world, is now in its second year.

The word "Homo faber" comes from the Latin word meaning "one who makes things". It has been used since the Renaissance to express the infinite creativity of human beings, and this year's Homo Faber also tries to use these crafts to invite people to temporarily "disconnect" and open their senses, to connect with the original and pure creativity of human beings and their surroundings, to feel the time, imagination, passion and love behind the crafts, and to experience firsthand the Experience the breathtaking beauty that Jean Blanchard said transcends the limits of time and space.

HOMO FABER's theme this year is "Living Treasures of Europe and Japan", and is presented by Italian curator Jean Blanchaert and Italian architect Stefano Boeri. The exhibition was organized by Italian curator Jean Blanchaert, Italian architect Stefano Boeri Architetti, Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa, American theatre director and visual artist Robert Wilson, London fashion curator Judith Clark, and German designer Sebastian Herkner. （The curatorial team of active experts from various industries, including Sebastian Herkner, focuses on the Japanese craft tradition and the influence of this tradition on European crafts.

The second edition of HOMO FABER took place in Venice on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. The entire event consists of 15 exhibitions including more than 850 works, with the participation of more than 400 artisans and designers from more than 40 countries and regions. They are presenting 110 different crafts and the resulting works. Visitors can admire the finished products, watch live demonstrations by master artisans, or participate in workshops to experience the craft process.

Jean Blanchard and architect Stefano Boeri have co-curated the exhibition The Next Europe. This exhibition focuses on European masters of craftsmanship. They come from different parts of Europe and use craftsmanship that has been passed down from generation to generation. The central theme of the exhibition is "How to build a more human future". "In today's age of total mechanization and total internet domination, it is important to be able to use our hands to create some kind of beautiful and functional object that keeps us connected to our roots." Blanchardt says, "When we buy handmade items, we are not only in touch with the personal history of the creators, but also with their homeland, the collective cultural heritage. It's like when you describe where a wine or a particular cheese is made, or when you speak with a certain accent."

One of the exhibitors in The Next Europe is the glass and ceramic artist duo Rick Gerner and Johanne Jahncke, who live on the Danish island of Bornholm. Both Jahncke and Gerner, also glassblowers by trade, are interested in geology and are adept at looking at the soil from an aesthetic perspective. Over the past few years, they have traveled to Italy and Japan to study and collect soils, gradually expanding their "soil color collection". When making glass, they add soil collected from different locations to the glass recipe and find that the texture and color of the final product will be different. Their enamels are made from soil and water, and soil plays an important role in their work. The "multiple backgrounds" of the soil act as unpredictable dyes, casting a variety of colors and textures onto the surface of the enamels. Their work evokes the geological diversity of nature. In this exhibition, they show how to make glazes from soil. "Using the natural environment of Northern Europe as a basis, we wanted to create a coherent, recognizable narrative that would allow people to actually experience a sense of belonging rooted in a place." The duo, who specialize in the study of soil, says, "Our goal is to literally create with what's under our feet and what we rely on as artisans."

The exhibition "Waiting in Peace and Darkness," curated by iconic American visual artist Robert Wilson, focuses on the craft of the theater community. in 1970, Robert Wilson made his first trip to Japan, a visit that changed his life and his work. In Japan, the stars of the theater world he met and the kabuki and noh theater he experienced affirmed what he had been doing, especially creating immersive experiences. in 1993, in his play Madame Butterfly for the Paris Opera, Wilson drew on elements of Japanese theater tradition. Thirty years later, in Venice, he used elements of this production to bring together a group of contemporary Italian master craftsmen inspired by Japanese culture to transform the gravel courtyard that used to be Gandini's swimming pool into a dramatic stage where Wilson's signature language is still evident everywhere in the lighting, sound and visual effects. This exhibition invites the viewer into a suspended space filled with visual experiences and craftsmanship, where the craftsmanship of Japanese theater is presented in three dimensions. To enter, viewers walk through a dark passage that plays video clips of Suzushi Hanayagi, a renowned Japanese choreographer. Suzuki worked with Wilson on the choreography of Madame Butterfly. Suzushi, now in her 90s, suffers from Alzheimer's disease, and the slow, hypnotic movements of her face, legs and hands were recorded by Wilson as images that serve as a "guide" to the exhibition. Entering the main gallery, a rich visual world floods the viewer: all-black costumes by film costume designer Frida Parmeggiani, minimalist ceramics by Taizo Kuroda, Wilson's ink drawings, his and Dario Felli's eccentric soundtracks combined with Venetian sounds and the entire "Waiting" scene, in which there is no place to hide, is a taste of the importance of master craftsmen to the world of theater.

Naoto Fukasawa and Tokugo Uchida, director of the MOA Museum of Art and Hakone Museum of Art, curated the exhibition Twelve Stone Gardens, which focuses on traditional Japanese craftsmanship, bringing the works and stories of 12 national treasures to Venice. A kimono, a lacquered harp, a bamboo flower basket, two traditional Japanese dolls and a number of containers made from different crafts are displayed on twelve stone-shaped displays in the magnificent Palladian restaurant, throughout a simple and reverent gallery, where short films on four walls take one deeper into the work of the masters who, despite their simple appearance, embody outstanding craftsmanship.

The photo exhibition "Miracle Studio", which echoes "The Garden of Twelve Stones", also focuses on these artisans. Japanese photographer Rinko Kawauchi is the curator and creator of this exhibition. Her photographs transport visitors to the studios of 12 of Japan's national treasures. Through these photographs, one can experience up close the passion and dedication of these craftsmen to their craft. Officially designated as "Japanese National Living Treasure," these artisans, most of whom have graying hair, are among Japan's most distinguished kimono makers, potters, dyers, weavers, woodworkers, and dollmakers whose entire lives are intertwined with the crafts they practice. Their entire lives were intertwined with the crafts they were engaged in. Noboru Fujinuma, a bamboo artisan, is one of the main characters, and Rinko's camera shows him working in the forest to select the right bamboo, and in his studio, weaving thin bamboo sticks into baskets or other objects, always with a look of concentration. Originally working for a photography company, Fujinuma decided to quit his job and devote himself to bamboo art, studying under master bamboo artist Yagisawa Keizo. Fujinuma believes that creation means expressing original ideas and choosing the right medium as a vehicle. Artisans should maintain a connection with their raw materials, allowing them to express their individuality in their work. Creation includes not only the physical production of a piece, but also the ability of the artisan's work to speak to the viewer through its intangible details.

Article Source:艺术与设计

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