'MITICO', Belmond's Artistic Series in Partnership with Galleria Continua, Launches Second Season with Installations in Spain, Italy, UK, and Brazil
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| Belmond's Artistic Series |
The 2023 season showcases contemporary art installations at La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel, Mallorca; Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, A Belmond Hotel, Oxfordshire; Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel, Rio de Janeiro; Villa Sant’Andrea, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina Mare; as well as returning to Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina; Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel, Florence; and Castello di Casole, A Belmond Hotel, Tuscany.
By taking the unique views, gardens and facades of legendary Belmond properties as their backdrop and canvas, the art installations reframe these iconic vistas in a new light, giving the spectator a unique insight into our place in the world.
THE NATURAL VERSUS THE MAN-MADE: ARCANGELO SASSOLINO AT LA RESIDENCIA, MALLORCA
Nestled in Mallorca’s UNESCO protected Sierra de Tramuntana, in the heart of the renowned artistic village of Deia, La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel is drenched in bohemian spirit, playing home to writers, artists and musicians seeking inspiration, for decades. Within the natural oasis of Deia, La Residencia, Italian artist Arcangelo Sassolino’s work stands in harsh juxtaposition. Hunger (2006/2007) features a hydraulic claw driven by an oil pump, which the artist renders powerless by placing it on a flat surface where it cannot gain traction. However, the claw persists in uprooting the beautiful garden of La Residencia, a stark representation of the irreversible effects of human technological accomplishments.
The art installation will be available to view by guests and visitors alike, from 2 May until the end of October 2023.
The art installation will be available to view by guests and visitors alike, from 2 May until the end of October 2023.
IDENTITY AND SOCIETY: YOAN CAPOTE AT GRAND HOTEL TIMEO AND VILLA SANT’ANDREA, SICILY
High up in the Taormina Hills, Grand Hotel Timeo, artist Yoan Capote installs a selection of bronze interventions entitled “Stress”, “Self-portrait”, “Speechless”, “On our shoulders”, “Deriva”, and “Urban Nature”. These works represent acts of resistance, emphasized by their backdrop - the creative and destructive forces of Mount Etna volcano.On the beautiful shores of Taormina Mare, Villa Sant’Andrea, A Belmond Hotel, will display Capote’s Family Portrait (2022), an ode to the artist’s own heritage. Hailing from Cuba, he portrays the sea as a force of both connection and isolation - a means of escape but also a barrier to do so. The work also alludes to the song ‘Foto de familia’ by Carlos Varela, one of the most emblematic songs for Capote’s generation in Cuba, which bravely reminds the viewer of the many different connotations and sentiments evoked by the sea. It is a painful reminder that the sea - a symbol of joy, beauty and calm for many - is also a place of tragedy, loss and despair.
The art installation will be available to view by guests and visitors alike, from 10 May until the end of October 2023 at Villa Sant’Andrea, and from 7 January 2024 at Grand Hotel Timeo.
HYPER-REALISM AND EXISTENTIALISM: SUN YUAN & PENG YU AT VILLA SAN MICHELE
Villa San Michele, a 16th century monastery with uninterrupted panoramic views of the city of Florence, will present ‘Teenager & Teenager’ by Chinese artists Sun Yuan and Peng Yu, both reputed for the often disorientating and provocative nature of their works, as well as their uncanny use of materials. The positioning of these works under the monastic century arches of the hotel entrance and inside the hotel corridors is particularly intriguing, as they are rendered oblivious of the architectural majesty of a Renaissance masterpiece inspired by Michelangelo.The art installation will be available to view by guests and visitors alike, from 16 May until 17 September 2023.
CHILDHOOD INNOCENCE AND GUILT: NARI WARD AT CASTELLO DI CASOLE
Castello di Casole’s grounds span over 4,200 acres of rural Tuscan countryside, providing the ideal home for Stallers (2013) by American artist of Jamaican origins Nari Ward, known for his sculptural installations created with discarded materials. Stallers, a play on the word ‘strollers,’ consist of giant strollers, a seemingly playful reference to childhood encouraging viewers to stop, sit and relax as they move around the hotel gardens.The title, created from the verb ‘to stall’, reinforces this idea of blockage and immobility. Visitors are encouraged to sit in these forms and slip back into a meditation on our origins and youth, as well as reflecting on how our personal identities change over time depending on our environment.
The art installation will be available to view by guests and visitors alike, from 23 May until 12 November 2023.
NATURE IN ALL ITS GLORY: LORIS CECCHINI AT LE MANOIR AUX QUAT’SAISONS
Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons, A Belmond Hotel, Oxfordshire presents Arborexence (2023,) a sculptural installation by Loris Cecchini, composed of a lattice of stainless steel that spreads harmoniously over the façade of the hotel, mirroring the ivy’s natural propagation. Framed by the bountiful gardens of the property, spectators will be reminded of what lies within the beauty of nature and its forms.The art installation will be available to view by guests and visitors alike from July until late 2023. Exact dates to follow.
