I love the Palazzo Fortuny museum in Venice for its interesting exhibitions within a unique atmosphere of Fortuny’s original home/studio. Today, an exhibit opened by jeweler Barbara Paganin, Open Memory and runs through July 14, 2014. This work appeals to me with its collection of found objects, which I prefer over Paganin’s more organic pieces mixed with glass. The glass tradition in Venice is definitely evident in her previous work.
This exhibition, curated by Valeria Accornero, presents jewels and stories that draw their inspiration from the emotions of their past, but which immediately open up to the world too, exploring the memories of others. Tangible elements of a borrowed memory: 19th-century miniatures, porcelain animal good-luck charms depicting mice, hippopotamuses, rabbits, ivory elephants, a little compass, the queen from a chess set…
This is the first time the Venetian Barbara Paganin (1961) has chosen to include “extraneous” elements and objets trouvés in a systematic manner in her production. Her work begins with a search among the antiques shops of Venice to find these little objects, which one could imagine were once jealously guarded in some child’s “treasure casket”. The memory of others blends, therefore, with that of the artist herself. Every brooch tells a story, which can be imagined differently by every observer, adapting it to his own memory. The 25 works are planned as a single corpus, on which Paganin has worked continuously over the past two years, and are designed to be displayed all together at Palazzo Fortuny. (Source)
Open Memory is only one of the current exhibitions on view for the Spring at Palazzo Fortuny season. How fortunate!
Barbara Paganin, Open Memory
March 8 – July 14, 2014
Palazzo Fortuny
San Marco 3958, Venice – ITALY
T +39 041 5200995
fortuny@fmcvenezia.it
Open 10am – 8pm — ticket office 10am – 5pm
Closed on Tuesdays and 1st of May
Tickets valid for the museum / all exhibitions
Full price € 10
Reduced € 8
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