For the 2022 season, Belmond has launched a partnership with internationally acclaimed art gallery – Galleria Continua – entitled MITICO, which celebrates the talents of four prominent artists, as they take the spotlight in some of Belmond’s captivating landmark gardens across Italy.
Evoking a feeling of inclusivity and community, MITICO embodies a new art philosophy: it is the reinterpretation of universal customs shared amongst different societies, such as cooking, painting, observing, and appreciating, and how these are consumed in their environments. MITICO is a moment in time and history where cultures interact – ultimately it is a celebration of art de vivre.
Deepening its long-standing connection to the arts, through MITICO, Galleria Continua and Belmond invite guests to see cultures through a different lens, tapping into each individual destination’s essence and beauty.
INTRODUCING – A NEW ERA OF ARTISTIC COLLABORATIONS
COOKING THE WORLD
The 59th International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia marks the inception of MITICO, in the Casanova gardens at Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice, with globally renowned Indian artist, Subodh Gupta presenting his work “Cooking the world”, curated by art consultant Hervé Mikaeloff, from 23 April to 19 November 2022.
The artist has installed a large house fashioned from thousands of pots, pans, and utensils, discarded by their previous users, bearing witness to individual histories and narratives of past utility. Inside a fully working kitchen will be home to Subodh for the inaugural week, here he’ll be captivating observers with a culinary performance, preparing and serving food.
In Cipriani’s gardens on Giudecca Island, where 18th century city dwellers would come to enjoy fresh air and Giacomo Casanova once wooed his lovers, guests will champion the notions of sharing and imparting cultural values. In this hidden away yet naturally beautiful meeting place visitors can gather to celebrate contemporary and ancient customs alike.
VIEWING THE WORLD
In Florence, at Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel, Florence, Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich installed “Window & Ladder”, paying homage to its exceptional location overlooking the city of Renaissance, open from 17 May to 7 November 2022.
Perception is a key element of the artists’ work, the large-scale piece, depicting a ladder leading to a real window, challenges and manipulates viewers’ concept of reality. The piece is hidden amidst the beautiful Italian gardens, a particularly alienating spot which further draws one’s eye towards it. It embraces ideas of universal beauty through differing points of view.
