Venice, with its labyrinth of canals, ornate bridges, and gondolas gliding silently beneath centuries-old buildings, is a city that evokes a sense of exoticism unlike any other. It's a place where the everyday is infused with a touch of the extraordinary, where the mundane is transformed into the magical.
This unique atmosphere is what inspired the theme for the 4th edition of the Venice Design Biennial held in 2023, which focused on the idea of Auto-Exotic. The widespread exhibition brought in the city a large and inspiring selection of collectible design from all over the world which has been showcased in the some of the most unusual and interesting places.
These include SPARC*, Francesca Giubilei and Luca Berta's Venetian gallery, a vibrant contemporary art space that champions emerging and established artists, showcasing thought-provoking exhibitions. As curators of the event, the duo decided to decline the theme also in a permanent project that saw a renovation of the kitchen of SPARC*.
Leading the design project for the self-exotic kitchen was the creative director and set-designer Alessandro Mensi, who translated the gallerists' desire to create a kitchen that, first and foremost, was a space for meeting and discussion, a place to think, imagine and make new connections.
For the interior project, Mensi was inspired by the Very Simple: Kitchen, chosen by Berta and Giubilei as a starting point, and by its solid chromatic connotation, "which at first impact reminded me of the shield of a Cetonia Aurata," making him lean toward a very vibrant colour palette, based on strong contrasts that could arouse a sense of wonder in those entering the space for the first time.
As a matter of fact, the wall configuration features a special and custom color finish which stands out for its shiny and bright semitransparent green. The indoor kitchen is completed by an unusual choice, a sunshade specially installed to bring to life the idea of exoticism even more.
Working to create a harmonious balance between different elements layered together as if to revisit the lush Venetian rococo in a contemporary key, Mensi has then furnished the interior with selected and colorful products, creating a symphony that "is also meant to be an invitation to embrace a return of colour in interiors, an antidote to the neutral and at times too aseptic spaces that have been in vogue in recent years.”
For the occasion of the Venice Design Biennial, the new kitchen space has eventually become the stage for a convivial dinner which brought together creatives and artist to enjoy delicious food provided by talented culinary collective Tocia.