Focus Moda 5 - English

SUPPLEMENTO N. 5 AD ARTRIBUNE MAGAZINE N. 86

FOCUS MODA

BIMESTRALE - COPIA EURO 0,001

dal 25 Ottobre 2025 al 3 Maggio 2026 MUSEO DEL TESSUTO, PRATO

MUSEODELTESSUTO.IT

Year XIV | Issues 86 October — November 2025 Supplement n. 4

FOCUS MODA #5 CURATED BY Alessia Caliendo EIC Massimiliano Tonelli ADVERTISING & MARKETING Cristiana Margiacchi 393 6586637 Rosa Pittau 339 2882259 Valentina Bartarelli adv@artribune.com EXTRASETTORE downloadPubblicità s.r.l. via Boscovich 17 – Milano via Sardegna 69 – Roma 02 71091866 | 06 42011918 info@downloadadv.it EDITORIAL STAFF | PUBLISHER via Ottavio Gasparri 13/17 Roma redazione@artribune.com

PRESS CSQ – Centro Stampa Quotidiani via dell’Industria 52 Erbusco (BS) Registered with Tribunale di Roma No. n. 184/2011 del 17/6/2011 Closed in the editorial office on il 23/9/2025 COVER Haute Couture ADV Szilveszter Makó COLLABORATORS Contributors: Margherita Cuccia, Lara Gastaldi, Aurora Mandelli, Alessandro Masetti, Vova Motrychuk Fashion Editor: Giulio Solfrizzi TRANSLATION BY Alamara Bettum

Click on the QR code for the Italian version ↓

IN

today’s world, talking about beauty means navigating a constant tension between conservation and transformation. The fifth issue of Artribune’s Focus Moda is born from this very friction: what does it mean to preserve beauty today?

‘To preserve’ implies an original value, a form to be safeguarded and protected. Yet the very concept of beauty is unstable, vulnerable, and constantly being redefined. This is exemplified in some of the major exhibitions that will accompany us towards and into 2026: from the punk, dissonant revolution of Dirty Looks, which brings contemporary fashion back to the Barbican after eight years, to Nan Goldin’s grotesque and militant vision of beauty at Hangar Bicocca, and the historic, cinematic allure of Marie Antoinette at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum. The beauty we choose to protect today is often imperfect, unsettling and politicised.

And yet, it remains essential. “Beauty creates beauty”, Giancarlo Giammetti told Artribune, reaffirming the mission of the Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation at PM23: beauty as a generative force. This is the crucial question that fashion, art and culture are grappling with today. Between eco-anxiety, the upcoming Olympics, and conversations with artificial intelligence, beauty splinters and multiplies but remains the battlefield in which our aesthetic and ethical future is decided.

Now that we have software to mould our digital profiles, why should we use them to conform to strict norms? By probing society’s obsession with a single, unattainable model, artists like Arvida Byström, Ines Alpha, and Harriet Davey are reimagining beauty as original creation. This issue hopes to showcase the multiplicity of these visions. Not in order to define what beauty is but to explain how, and why, we continue to seek it.

■ Alessia Caliendo

INDEX

No. 5

INTERVIEWS

OBSERVATORY

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35

Great Photographer Martin Parr Opens the Doors to His Grand Hotel

by Alessia Caliendo

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Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood

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The Tableaux Vivants of Szilveszter Makó

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A Creative Workshop at the Crossroads of Art and Perfume Debuts in Marche

by Alessia Caliendo

by Alessia Caliendo

by Alessia Caliendo

STORIES

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Beauty in the Digital Age How Self-Perception Has Changed

by Aurora Mandelli

32

An Invitation To Style Yourself

by Margherita Cuccia

Fashion exhibitions The Best Exhibits This Autumn/Winter

EDITORIAL

ART DIRECTOR Alessandro Naldi

Preserving Beauty

by Vova Motrychuk

PLACES

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Rooms with Memory The Art of Hospitality According to Starhotels

by Giulio Solfrizzi

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Iconic Italian Brands in an Exhibition on the Identity of Italy

by Lara Gastaldi

WUNDERKAMMER

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Beauty in Transit From Fashion Archives to Reinvention

by Alessandro Masetti

SPAZIO ESPOSITIVO

42

Saving Grace

by Alessia Caliendo

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Great Photographer Martin Parr Opens the Doors to His Grand Hotel

INTERVIEWS

R

ed carpet, faux-wood panelling, a grand piano with plastic flowers and a postcard-style “Seaside View”. At the Neues Museum in Nuremberg, the photobooks of Martin Parr (Epsom, 1952) are transformed into a British hotel to be explored room by room. With the Grand Hotel Parr, at the Neues Museum Nürnberg (NMN), in collaboration with Cologne’s The PhotoBookMuseum, Parr’s Magnum oeuvre is presented for the first time almost entirely through books; around 250 titles spread across the reception, Reading Lounge, Bar, Souvenir Shop and themed rooms.

We asked him why in today’s world the photobook, including in fashion, is the most candid way of understanding his work. Photographs by Nikita Teryoshin.

The photobook is the most direct and effective medium for engaging with your work. How did you conceive of the idea to move from page to hotel “itinerary”?

It was not my idea originally. The proposal came from Markus Schaden and The PhotoBookMuseum team, and I liked it immediately. The exhibition doesn’t feature only books, but the books form the backbone of the journey. That feels natural to me; I have always used photobooks to give shape to an idea and to construct a narrative. Here that very same montage transforms into a space. You enter into the reception, sit in the Reading Lounge, move through themed rooms, much in the same way as you would sifting through the pages of a book. It is a way of reading the images while respecting their rhythm, without reducing them to wall decorations.

What viewing rhythm do you consider ideal in order for a photobook to be able to ‘breathe’ in an exhibition space?

For me a good photobook has three components: a strong idea, a solid narrative and visually striking photos. To these components, I would add a design that respects the tone of the project, almost creating an ‘echo’

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of the idea. If these elements work well together, the rhythm comes naturally, the book is able to breathe regardless of whether you are reading it sat on the sofa or in a Reading Lounge. I never try to dictate the audience’s pace but let the sequence and pairings give rise to it.

With Fashion Faux Parr (Phaidon) you consolidated a fashion language rooted in the real world. What criteria do you use when translating that body of work into book form?

In the last twenty-five years I have tried to bring my work in fashion into ordinary situations in order to make them more interesting. In the context of a book, I aim to preserve this friction. I alternate between backstage and the main stage, I let the clothes interact with their surroundings, and I am careful to ensure that it does not end up being pure kitsch. I like the idea that fashion is anchored in reality, that the images also translate beyond the glossy rules.

Your visual autobiography, Utterly Lazy and Inattentive, came out in September 2025. What can a written memoir achieve that a visual one cannot and vice versa?

They are two separate ideas. Sometimes you need text because it can explain what is happening and gives context. Indeed in my recent works, I have used text a bit more. But the memoir takes its own form, composed of words and memories; the exhibitions and photobooks have theirs as well, entrusted to the images and the sequence.

In recent months you have released or re-edited books spanning decades of archival work (No Smoking, photographs 1970–2019; Pride, 2017–2024; Animals, 2025 — your first children’s book). What rules do you follow when you are re-telling a body of work that spans so much time and what is different when the intended reader is a child?

This year I published two children’s books, and I really enjoyed the expe-

rience. The main rule is to draw them in straightway: colour and brightness help to enthral the reader. Then, if you wish, there is almost always a deeper level underneath, sometimes even a political one. But I do not spell it out; I prefer it to be discovered. As for the new editions of the archives, I think in terms of clarity and flow. Rather than relying on lots of captions, I aim to ensure that it is the visual connections that carry the story forward.

You have long endorsed the democratic potential of the photobook.

In what ways does this exhibition exemplify this ‘democracy’ and what do institutions need to do in order to make the ecosystem of the photobook truly accessible?

I truly believe in the power of the photobook. For a photographer, it is the most direct way to make a clear and compact statement about their own work. That’s why interest has grown so much over the past twenty or thirty years. In Nuremberg, I am pleased to be able to show a wide selection of my books. There you can see the democracy of the medium at work, because books are accessible, reproducible and shareable. The institutions?

They can do more in terms of access and engagement. In the meantime, I am excited by the idea of bringing photobooks into an exhibition format that truly places them at the very heart of the museum.

■ Alessia Caliendo

Grand Hotel Parr photo by Nikita Teryoshin

Grand Hotel Parr photo by Nikita Teryoshin

Grand Hotel Parr photo by Nikita Teryoshin

Grand Hotel Parr photo by Nikita Teryoshin

Grand Hotel Parr photo by Nikita Teryoshin

Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood The creative director explains how the designer’s legacy brings together fashion, activism, living archives and collaborations with institutions.

I

INTERVIEWS

nnsbruck 1966: Andreas Kronthaler is born - fashion designer, creative partner and husband of Vivienne Westwood. After studying art and design, Kronthaler met the British designer in the 1980s whilst attending the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. It is there that they began to work together and became a couple. In 2022, following the fashion designer’s death, Kronthaler led on the role of creative director of the brand. In doing so, he has helped to keep alive the provocative aesthetic of the brand, promoting a style that blends historical elements, theatricality and a strong political and social awareness.

For her, everything stemmed from the idea of fashion as thought, translated into a concrete endorsement of contemporary art.

I just returned from the amfAR gala in Salzburg, where we worked on the creation of costumes for the play Jedermann, starting with the original garments from the costume department of the Salzburg Festival. They were later sold in auction in order to support the cause. The pieces were dismantled, recombined, restitched and mixed with elements from our current collections in a bid to recount a new story in our own style. It was a privilege to work with those costumes, to discover their secrets and, above all, to raise funds for amfAR. We choose projects that support culture and activism in ways that feel authentic to the maison.

The maison has, for some years now, woven together activism and business. How do you navigate the tension between activism and sales, which you recognise as requiring a delicate balance?

We use our work to communicate messages. Vivienne’s favourite slogan, “Buy Less, Choose Well, Make It Last”, remains the fundamental philosophy of the maison. It is about paying attention, being conscious and buying a great piece of clothing that you will love for years to come. It is a question of respecting Mother Nature; the first rule of reduce, reuse and recycle is to refuse. The close relationships that Vivienne built in the charity and activism worlds continue today. This capacity to unite around common goals creates a community and it is community that is a powerful force for change.

Your statements also reveal a collector’s streak (Art Nouveau, porcelain, watches) and, in your family background, there is a strong relationship between craftsmanship and materials.

I always pay a great deal of attention to how things are made. For me, this aspect is almost more important than how something looks. Everything feeds into everything else, everything is interrelated; the book that you read, the

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exhibition that you visit, the trip you take. It all happens inside you. You never know how or when it will resurface, but it all matters. For example, we contributed some looks to the new Marie Antoinette Style exhibit at the V&A and at the Desire and Decay in Fashion exhibit at the Barbican.

It is a question of sharing your own work with the world and of seizing opportunities to collaborate with cultural institutions.

The auctions at Christie's allocated resources to the Vivienne Foundation, Amnesty, MSF and Greenpeace.

What did you learn about the governance of a maison’s patronage?

We have been very fortunate to be able to work with the amazing team at Christie’s in order to bring to life this unique project. One of the most rewarding aspects was giving the clothes a second life. Some of the buyers were art institutions for whom the pieces will become part of their permanent collections. Another extraordinary thing was that more than 20,000 people came through the doors at Christie’s to visit the exhibition that we put together for the auction. Our dream would be to create a permanent educational resource for the public.

There is a visiting exhibition, Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery, that presents pieces of jewellery as objets d’art. What cultural model do you envision for the maison: a distribuited museum, a living archive, or a curatorial platform?

The exhibit aims to recount our story of more than 30 years in jewellery design. We wanted to create it for a long time and it has been an exciting experience to be able to document and give shape to this work to be shared with the world. It offers a new perspective; you understand and you see what you have done, and that helps you to move forward.

What role do you see archives playing today?

We have always kept an archive; it is a key part of our process. You deposit things and, when you need them, you take them and you use them in whatever you are working on. It is the place where work is preserved.

■ Alessia Caliendo

Andreas Kronthaler photographed by Juergen Teller

Curated by ■ Alessia Caliendo Mixed media artist Luca Anzalone (1995) presents for Artribune a visual project that fuses his creative process with Vivienne Westwood’s radical approach to design. The collages become spatial, dynamic devices that frame bodies as “living masses” of historical references, autobiographical photographs, patterns and textures from Westwood’s collections, alongside spray paint, oil colours and metallic threads.

Through collage, Anzalone pursues a three-dimensional exploration that pushes beyond the flatness of paper and suggests new visual depth.

A DIY ethos is central: each composition emerges from experimental practice in which images are deconstructed to their essential elements — tones and lines — and then reassembled within expressive silhouettes.

The result is raw, vibrant imagery that sheds its original structure to claim a new identity within its own boundaries.

The Tableaux Vivants of Szilveszter Makó

INTERVIEWS

Elements emerge and, when they can no longer be reinvented, they slowly fade. Over time, I have built structures in various forms, reinterpreting older sets and giving them new life. Nowadays, my focus has shifted to the two-dimensional, where perspectives collide and the frame stretches out into something else. I cannot predict if or how the “box” will dissolve.

My sets develop over time and with everyday motifs.

I do know that I am not chasing spectacle. I seek simplicity, and there is nothing so simple as a box.

Acne Paper 2025 by Szilveszter Makó

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etween historic references and reclaimed materials, even a visual encounter with Szilveszter Makó, the Hungarian artist who builds theatre sets with recycled materials and natural light, is an experience in discipline and the unexpected.

Across his work, the “box” is used to organise and amplify the gaze. Echoes of the Renaissance, Dada and the Bauhaus movements appear throughout his portraits of Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett and Monica Bellucci.

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The “box” has become an iconic element of your work For me, it is both constraint and liberation. It centres the subject whilst simultaneously highlighting them, preventing energy from dissipating within the frame. My senses crave order; I feel at ease within the discipline of boundaries. A geometric structure allows me to move about without getting lost in the vastness of the studio.

It is a refuge, a grounding framework, a rule. I evolve naturally with the set.

Do you work from a fixed script of gestures and poses, or do you prefer to leave room for the unexpected?

There are poses that I have relied on for years - splayed legs, certain gestures with the fingers.

They are temporal markers of different stages of my life. These poses are a foundation which I can always return to. I like them, aesthetically speaking, they balance my practice and bring me peace. I insert them into a story in order to anchor the image. Having said this, I do embrace the unexpected. On set, I give a lot of space to spontaneity and I am careful to protect that space. Even in my commercial work, I caution my clients against being too rigid. You need to allow space for variation. Excessive control stifles the images, they become overwrought and stripped of any meaning. A set has to breathe, evolve and even surprise its creator. When we enter the studio, everything that we have prepared - the props, the costumes, the plans - is amassed in one room. I like

seeing these things collide. What we imagined does not always take form in the way we expected. Sometimes, the idea rejects the form that we have given it. In that case, we change it, we give it a new life. This is exactly the moment that is most exciting. Starting from the foundation of poses and then letting the unexpected interrupt the story. It is that tension between control and surrender that keeps the images alive.

You have spoken about a “secret” post-production process. Is this a quest for perfection or an act of refinement?

I wouldn’t call it a “secret”, but rather an unorthodox, time-consuming process that is rare nowadays. Those familiar with the history of analogue photography, might recognise the process. But for others, it will remain unknown and I prefer it that way. My post-production process is not about attaining perfection, but about idealisation. I prefer to linger at the romantic edge of vision, where reality begins to warp. I pursue the ideal in the way that the Ancient Greeks sculpted marble; not by copying life, but by bending it into a narrative. I do not feel the need to hold up a mirror to the world and to force people to confront its harshness.

I want my images to breathe in a space where dreams reemerge and the imagination is awakened.

To what extent are you willing to “disrupt” beauty in order to uncover its truth?

I shy away from the general use of the word “beauty”, because for me it is expansive. I do not turn beauty into a martyr; I find it in individuality. What others may call different or strange is often what makes the greatest impression on me. I do not show “truth” because I am not a documentary photographer. My images are not reflections of what exists. They belong to another dimension, the landscape of my mind.

When something draws me in, I ask myself what it is that made me stop right there, what is the element that caught my attention. Once I have identified that particular detail, I incorporate it into my work and try to make it adhere to my own aesthetic. This, for me, is true “inspiration”. Not copying what is in front of you, tweaking it and calling it your own but finding the fragment which moves you and creating it within a new world.

Your visual trajectory has embraced the Renaissance before turning to Dada and Bauhaus In my work, the transitions between different eras and styles happen naturally. When I feel the pull of a new period or language, I look for the element that speaks to me and then I reshape the experience in line with the rules that I follow and the limitations I adhere to. Coherence is born from that self-imposed boundary.

For me it is a subconscious act, like a habit or the impact of my mental state. I often say that 95% of what I see, I do not like and just 5% remains.

But when I gather those fragments, the outcome is inevitably mine. For this reason, I can move between Renaissance, Dada, Bauhaus or folklore without losing my sense of identity.

The identity comes from the filter itself, from discipline, from limitations and from my way of seeing things.

This is sometimes mistaken for a lack of education, but I do know the stories and ideologies. I do not start until I have an understanding of the social context of these movements. I simply do not carry the theory with me; I carry the visual impact. I take a fragment, I filter it through my own gaze, I discover my own limits, heed my own judgement, and it becomes something else.

I do not treat celebrities differently to any others. We enter the studio as equals. There is no hierarchy on set, it is a shared workspace. I do not have the same inhibitions that some do; the fear of asking too much or the awkwardness in knowing how to behave. These things do not apply to me.

When they arrive, we often start by talking about unusual things, strange things that you would not expect two people who have just met to discuss.

That honesty and element of unpredictability create a common ground. I think I make them feel as though they are in good hands. I always say - we can experiment, push ourselves in new directions, but there is no risk. There is always a sense, a logic in what I ask for. With Willem Dafoe, I explained why I wanted to construct that house, where the idea came from and what it meant. I explained why I wanted that expression, and why I put him in the corner like a child who is being punished. Once he understood the logic, he trusted the process. It is rare that you continue to feel like strangers on set. We talk, we connect, we exchange ideas. It is not about becoming friends, but about creating a temporary partnership, two individuals side by side and completely open. Direct and open communication is what makes it possible to create the image.

How important is it for you that the audience is able to recognise the citations or references in your work?

I do not create images in order to change the world. I do it for myself.

They are a visual rendering of my own obsessions, my way of existing and having experiences. It is the desire to depict what I see, even if it only exists in my mind. I am amazed that I ended up in this world, it seems totally unexpected. But I have to live, and like anyone else, I have to work.

I doubt that someone else would be capable of seeing an image through my own viewpoint. It is not a question of remembering the precise moment, there are no words that can capture what I perceive through photography.

It is an internal and untranslatable feeling.

The use of recycled materials in your sets is both an ethical choice and a signature aesthetic It is good not only for the environment, but also for the wallet. If something does not need replacing and there is a more economic solution, then that is the way to go. All too often we look for shortcuts in order to get somewhere more quickly. The reluctance to search, to reimagine and to reuse frustrates me. Waste for convenience’s sake does not make sense.

Working with recycled materials takes work. You have to observe, adapt, and commit but the work takes on a different level of meaning. I appreciate anything that is time-intensive; cardboard as a base element, wood that has already lived twenty lives.

That is where the beauty lies. It is waste that is the true enemy of creation.

You have done portraits of people like Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett, Monica Bellucci and Solange. How do you create the moment in which the subject entrusts themselves to your gaze?

■ Alessia Caliendo

Numero Paris cover 2023 by Szilveszter Makó

Numero Paris cover 2023 by Szilveszter Makó

Maison Margiela ADV 2022 by Szilveszter Makó

Maison Margiela ADV 2022 by Szilveszter Makó

Abodi ADV 2023 by Szilveszter Makó

Abodi ADV 2023 by Szilveszter Makó

Numero Paris cover 2024 by Szilveszter Makó

WWD cover 2025 by Szilveszter Makó

A Creative Workshop at the Crossroads of Art and Perfume Debuts in Marche Filippo Sorcinelli’s project is depicted through a series of photos by Davide Sartori, winner of the 2025 Luigi Ghirri Prize.

INTERVIEWS

IN

Click on the QR code for the Italian version ↓

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care - guides the rhythm, the processes and the quality, even within the realm of artistic perfumery.

Mondolfo (Pesaro and Urbino), in Italy’s Marche region, a contemporary workshop is taking shape: production and gallery coexist in the same space and time, turning the very act of working into the workshop’s first exhibition piece. Artribune spoke with the brain behind the project, Filippo Sorcinelli, a leading figure in artistic perfumery. For the first time, Sorcinelli has “entered into dialogue” with his hometown through the lens of Davide Sartori, winner of the 2025 Luigi Ghirri Prize, part of Giovane Fotografia Italiana, promoted by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia.

Why exactly did you decide to launch your first production workshop and art gallery in Mondolfo?

The return to Mondolfo is related to my roots. It was there that I took my first steps and there that, as a child, I experienced the sacred dimension that still informs my work. This return does not alter the trajectory of the brand. Rather, it strengthens it, because it places at the heart of the brand a continuity between art, music and perfume based on memory and transcendence.

The workshop manufactures and the gallery exhibits: which processes have you made visible and what type of experience for the public do you anticipate?

The closeness of the workspaces and the artworks make the link between craftsmanship and artistic expression tangible. Those who work there move through the exhibition halls daily and, in doing so, their own actions are layered into the space. Even the dust, the sediment from the works becomes part of the story. What we offer the publics is an intimate experience, one that reveals each step of the process and its transformation into both a visual and olfactory language.

What kinds of local artisans were involved in the project and how do you envisage passing on their knowledge?

The collaboration is ongoing and happens directly throughout the work itself. Not all of them are familiar with the language of art, but here we learn by doing. We are planning a schoolworkshop, a bridge between Mondolfo and Santarcangelo, where the LAVS Atelier is based, which is another of my projects dedicated to sacred vestments. Marche needs a structured network of artisanal expertise, one that is rooted in practice.

In the workshop, how do operational choices reflect the idea of a “slow economy” applied to perfume?

Slowness is a method. We work with an awareness of the time each step requires, and we share our research along the way. This allows the whole team to grasp the meaning of what is being created. It is a rejection of content overload. The lesson of sacred art - its attention to detail and meticulous

How do Mondolfo and Marche fit into the sensory cartography of sacristies and relics evoked in your fragrances (I’m thinking also of Reliqvia, Basilica d’Assisi, Tu es Petrus)?

The territory of Marche is already woven into these olfactory projects. Reliqvia is also the name of a small church in Senigallia, just a few metres from the historic print shop linked to Mario Giacomelli.

Santa Casa, in the Memento collection, preserves the scent memory of the Basilica of Loreto. Several of the fragrances for the home recall idyllic walks of childhood in Mondolfo. The art gallery will continue to add new chapters dedicated to the territory.

After projects such as Epicentro (earthquake 2016, support for Bolognola) or Notre-Dame 15.4.2019, does the new space include site-specific commissions, scholarships for young artisans, restorations, or perfume archives linked to Mondolfo?

The focus will remain philanthropic and independent. I have made an investment to raise awareness of local value, despite bureaucratic hurdles and without institutional support.

I do not measure success by metrics, but rather in participation, the transfer of skills and the ability of the territory to communicate its own work.

■ Alessia Caliendo

on top: Filippo Sorcinelli Headquarter. on the right: Filippo Sorcinelli.

Courtesy by Davide Sartori

Beauty in the Digital Age How Self-Perception Has Changed

3D

scans, filtered selfies, AI models. In her new photobook Fear of Mirrors, the artist Alba Zari explores the ways we construct and inhabit self-representation today.

The fear of looking at oneself in the mirror is called eisoptrophobia.

Many Hollywood stars suffer from it including Pamela Anderson who, astonishingly, despite being the most photographed actress of the 1990s, has admitted to never having liked her own image.

STORIES

THE “FEAR OF MIRRORS” ESSAY

Fear of Mirrors, the new visual essay

by Alba Zari, edited by Yogurt Editions and XYZ Books, and curated

by Francesco Rombaldi, takes its title from Anderson and her phobia. A deep dive into the forms of representation that we adopt nowadays to present ourselves - avatars, selfies, icons - the book also explores the power and the limits of the reflections we inhabit every day. In one of the most talked-about scenes of The Substance (2024), Demi Moore bounces back and forth in front of the mirror, changing outfits, makeup and hair. She is getting ready for a date which she will never go on, and ends up smearing lipstick all over her face in an act of desperation. No matter how beautiful she may appear to others, her reflection cannot compare to the image she holds of herself; one that is vivid and unobtainable. So frustrating and terrifying is it, that she cannot even leave her house. “We have never been more perfectible” observes Sophie Gilbert in an article in The Atlantic entitled Reclaim Imperfect Faces. As AI generated (and entirely fictitious) amass millions of followers online, millions of users (real people) subject their own image, now deemed a type of currency thanks to the digital revolution and social media, to a relentless cycle of reinvention.

NEW IDEALS OF BEAUTY

“Optimise” has become the magic word; be it in time, performance or appearance. For those who can afford

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it, that might mean Botox, surgery or Ozempic, and for those who cannot, filters and apps will do the job. We no longer look at ourselves in the mirror but on the screen; a living, backlit surface that projects not a face but a host of possibilities. The question then becomes - which one to choose?

Zari places female imagery and the social conditioning that shapes it at the very heart of her project. By way of three-dimensional scans, selfies filtered with hearts, strawberries, bows and screenshots of her desktop (ranging from academic research on sexual objectification in the media to the creation of an AI doll), the artist highlights certain subtle dynamics of the web. If on the one hand, the freedom to constantly reinvent yourself appears as an act of self-determination; on the other, the algorithms seem to recycle the same homogenised, aesthetic norms, doing so at an extraordinary pace. Just when you have made peace with your appearance, a new trend pops on your For You Page to remind you that, no, you are already obsolete. Get with the times.

Follow the rhythm set by trends; from Kim Kardashian style curves to slimness 5.0, from plumping the face to stripping away every last filler.

THE PHENOMENON OF BODY DYSMORPHIA

From the very first pages, the book poses the question of whether digital freedom is, in fact, no more than the patriarchy in high definition. “By constantly reinforcing a negative narrative around a physical defect, we become trained to believe in it and to detach from reality” explains psychotherapist Kimberlin Shepard. Body dysmorphic disorder - in which we become obsessed with our perceived defects, to the point of not being able to look at ourself in the mirror objectively - is certainly not new to the digital era. It is, for example, one of the symptoms of anorexia. What is different today is the double incentive. A few years ago, people spoke of Snapchat Dysmorphia where young girls would want surgery so that they could look more like their retouched

selfies. Then came TikTok’s Bold Glamour filter, which lets you change your skin, eyes, lips and features in real time, in such a realistic way that it has been restricted for users under the age of 18. In Fear of Mirrors, Zari does not aim to provide solutions or answers but invites us to openly reflect on contemporary society. Has the mirror finally shattered or, rather, has it simply multiplied imprisoning us, in our thousands of reflections?

After all, “mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all”, never really interested anyone.

■ Aurora Mandelli

THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND CULTURAL IDEALS ON BODY IMAGE AND BODY DYSMORPHIC DISORDER AUTHOR: Dr K.H. Hussain in Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2025 SAMPLE: 403 US participants METHOD: Screening with the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire (BDDQ) SOURCE: Frontiers in Psychiatry

13.2% 3.7%

of participants exceeded the BDDQ cutoff, displaying symptoms compatible with body dysmorphia scored positive on the BDDQ when excluding weight-related concerns

A SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION WAS FOUND BETWEEN BDDQ positivity and: Perceived negative impact of social media (χ²(2) = 19,92, p < 0,001)

Perceived cultural pressure to achieve an ideal appearance

An Invitation To Style Yourself

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ontemporary styling – sustainable and conscious – is becoming increasingly widespread in an age where overproduction and hyper-consumption saturate the fashion world. No longer an aesthetic exercise confined to matching clothes and accessories with makeup and hair, styling has become a creative reimagining of the wardrobe.

Rather than buying something new, it requires seeing what we have with fresh eyes. It involves reclaiming our own clothes: reinterpreting them, rediscovering them, altering them, but also exchanging or selling them. Each

item of clothing returns to its original form, becoming once again a living, transformable object, potentially able to multiply itself into infinite combinations or as many as we can imagine. The way in which a piece of clothing is matched, layered or even its original use subverted says something about the person who chooses it. Fundamentally, it is no longer about owning an object but about the act of the person wearing it and the way in which they choose to do so. It becomes a visual language conveying the uniqueness, autonomy and subjective beauty of the individual.

a declaration of independence, a departure from imposed standards, a daily exercise in critical self-representation. This, ultimately, is one of the fundamental roles of clothing: to express oneself, giving shape – every day – to a personal, fluid, ever-evolving aesthetic. An approach that takes form through heterogeneous experiences, weaving together technology, craftsmanship, and personal transformation. Three examples with a shared intent illustrate this well.

LOOK @ THE LABEL

on the left: Layla Sargent, The Seam.

Courtesy The Seam below: Jennifer von Walderdorff, Look @ The Label.

Ph.Jennifer von Walderdorff

This styling app, based on the individual’s body shape, is a digital tool that encourages a reframing of personal style, not through adherence to a predetermined norm but as a personal exploration. In three steps – measuring your body shape, uploading your clothes, and creating your outfits – the app enables us to see the potential of the items we already own in relation to our body shape and daily life.

The goal is not to build the ideal wardrobe but to discover new possibilities within the existing one. Created by Jennifer von Walderdorff, the app also includes coaching sessions, personalised assessments and style consultations. Rather than suggesting what we should buy, these tools help us to understand what already works for us.

STORIES

THE MEANING OF ECO-STYLING

Preserving beauty today means precisely giving value to this uniqueness. In a world dominated by the homogenisation of social media, production speed, and compulsive accumulation, beauty lies in the act of caring; caring for the materials as well as the stories woven into the fabrics, for the hands that created them, the minds that designed them, and the lives of those who wore them before us. This is a beauty measured not in novelty, but in depth. Conscious styling calls for a shift in perspective in a world that compels us to seek beauty elsewhere, outside of ourselves, be it through unattainable models, or through trying to attain “perfection”. Styling forces us to turn our gaze inward. Every look becomes

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STORIES Sophie Strauss, stylist. Courtesy Sophie Strauss. Ph. Sandy Honig

SOPHIE STRAUSS

Stylist for regular people. Based in Los Angeles, Sophie Strauss proposes a radically inclusive idea of styling, designed for those who often feel excluded from dominant aesthetics.

Her work is aimed at people experiencing changes, be it in body, identity, work, or life, who wish to reestablish a meaningful and discerning relationship with their wardrobe.

Clothes are reconsidered and adapted, and the wardrobe becomes a space for re-elaboration. Her consultations – also available remotely – are accompanied by courses, handbooks, wedding styling, and “closet clean-out” sessions, where the act of curating becomes a practice of care. It’s not about what to wear, but how to use what you already have, every day, more consciously.

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THE SEAM

Repairing to give new life and meaning. The Seam is a platform founded in the UK by Layla Sargent which aims to connect people with textile repair specialists. From fixing a zip to reconstructing a jumper, from renewing a bag to adjusting a hem, each intervention becomes part of a material story that doesn’t erase the traces of time but embraces and incorporates them. The goal isn’t to return the garment to its original form but to encourage its evolution. In this way, repairing clothes becomes a styling practice in its own right: creative, intentional, emotional. It restores value to what we already own and shifts the desire from buying to caring for what we love.

■ Margherita Cuccia

Fashion exhibitions

The Best Exhibits This Autumn/Winter BLITZ: THE CLUB THAT SHAPED THE 80S, DESIGN MUSEUM, LONDON

The 1980s, back in fashion for excess and power dressing, comes to life again at the Design Museum with the exhibition Blitz: the Club that Shaped the 80s. Nearly 40 years after its closure, the famous London club is reopening in a bid to showcase the place and the people who shaped not only British fashion at the time but also its spirit. The legendary London venue ‘Blitz’ was often visited by young new generation artists, from fashion lovers to filmmakers.

It became the epicentre of the creative scene frequented by emerging designers, artists, and filmmakers. The exhibit recounts the story of this extravagant English hub through 250 objects which include items of clothing, accessories, posters, musical instruments and magazines.

From 20 September 2025 until 26 March 2026.

Born just one year apart, two great designers of our contemporary era are being celebrated in a joint exhibition in Melbourne. Vivienne Westwood, born in 1941, and Rei Kawakubo, born in 1942, will be placed side by side in the exhibition Westwood / Kawakubo. The exhibition explores the affinities and the contrasts between two design languages, seemingly opposite but both united by rebellion and nonconformity. A narrative relayed through 140 garments: 80 from international museums and galleries (Met, Palais Galliera, V&A etc.), and 40 donated by Comme des Garçons to the NGV. The exhibition will also include 1970s pieces, Westwood Anglomania creations, and iconic looks worn by Rihanna and Sarah Jessica Parker. The “blockbuster exhibition” will run from 7 December 2025 until 19 April 2026.

AZZEDINE ALAÏA AND THE PASSION FOR MAISON DIOR

Two icons of French fashion come together in the heart of Paris to bring to life a unique exhibition. From 1 December, the Dior Gallery will host a special show, curated from the personal archives of Azzedine Alaïa, in collaboration with the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, and dedicated to the creative legacy of Christian Dior. On display, around 30 historic pieces collected by Alaïa himself, who in 1965 had a brief stint at the fashion house in Avenue Montaigne. From then on, the Franco-Tunisian designer developed a strong bond with the Dior universe, collecting over time creations designed only by Christian Dior himself but also by his successors. Fascinated by the talent of his colleagues, Alaïa devoted much of his life to preserving fashion, carefully selecting and archiving pieces which he deemed to be true works of art. Today, these treasures, gathered by historian and curator Olivier Saillard, offer an unmissable opportunity to rediscover the dialogue between two Haute Couture legends.

Fashion shows represent one of the most powerful means of communication with the public. Originally conceived of as a functional means of presenting the collections of brands, since the 1960s they have transformed into true spectacles. From 18 October 2025 until 16 February 2026, the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Mein, southwest Germany, will host Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show. A visual and historical exploration of the runway phenomenon, showcasing over 100 years of fashion shows: from Alexander McQueen’s theatrical presentaion to Chanel’s dramatic stagings, and even Fendi’s spectacular presentation on the Great Wall of China. According to the curators, the exhibition not only celebrates the aesthetics of the runway but also aims to explore the profound link between fashion and the social dynamics of our time. What do fashion shows really tell us? What myths, values and dreams do they bring to the stage? And above all, what remains essential in a world that is increasingly dominated by image?

THE ANTWERP SIX AT ANTWERP’S FASHION MUSEUM

OBSERVATORY

WESTWOOD | KAWAKUBO, NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

CATWALK: THE ART OF THE FASHION SHOW, VITRA DESIGN MUSEUM, GERMANY

The Antwerp Six, 1986, ©Photo Karel Fonteyne

Antwerp holds a special place in the history of contemporary fashion. It is there that the six celebrated Belgian fashion designers, known as the Antwerp Six, were trained and educated at the Royal Academy for Fine Arts in Antwerp. In 1986, Dirk Bikkembergs, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene and Marina Yee brought their radical vision to London, transforming Antwerp into a new fashion capital. They did so with an experimental and unconventional aesthetic, which lay in sharp contrast to the Italian and French traditions of the time. To celebrate the anniversary of that cultural turning point, the Antwerp Fashion Museum (MoMu) is inaugurating a major exhibition dedicated to the Antwerp Six, described by the museum director Kaat Debo as “the protagonists who have shaped the recent fashion history”. Open from 28 March 2026 until 17 January 2027, it promises to be one of the unmissable events in the international fashion calendar.

■ Vova Motrychuk

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Rooms with Memory

The Art of Hospitality According to Starhotels A “collection” of remarkable places that, with the addition of the new Gabrielli, redefines the history of Italian hospitality.

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he Hotel Gabrielli - once a refuge for the soul of Franz Kafka who, from these rooms overlooking the Venetian lagoon, wrote love letters to Felice Bauer - has reopened its doors to guests. After more than a century under the ownership of the Perkhofer family, the palace, dating back to 1856, has joined Starhotels, that now manages the property, opening a new chapter in its history. The leading private Italian hotel group already has a presence in Venice with the Splendid Venice hotel. Nowadays, the palace boasts a panorama that stretches across San Giorgio Maggiore, Punta della Dogana and the basin of San Marco.

THE CHARM OF HOTEL GABRIELLI

Its prime location, just steps from Piazza San Marco and the Biennale Gardens, has made the Hotel Gabrielli a meeting point for artists, writers and travellers for centuries.

The recent renovation, overseen by designer Andrea Auletta, adopted a traditional approach; Murano chandeliers, coffered ceilings, Istrian stone columns and lagoon-inspired tones blend seamlessly with contemporary comfort.

With an emphasis on space and light, the number of rooms has been reduced from 105 to 66, with many offering views over the rooftops of Venice or the 600-square-metre private garden - the largest in the central islands. The beating heart of the property is the Gabrielli Terrace, a 150-square-metre terrace, suspended, with a 360° view that becomes an unforgettable spectacle at sunset.

Completing the offering is the Felice al Gabrielli Restaurant, the K Lounge Bar, a winter courtyard-garden, and a SPA on the main floor with hammam, sauna and a treatment room. Every detail, from the restored floors to the

Murano wall sconces, was created or recovered thanks to local artisans which is very much in line with the group’s philosophy.

discover more on starhotels.com

→

THE LA GRANDE BELLEZZA PROJECT

PLACES

The rebirth of the Gabrielli also stands as a symbol of a broader vision, La Grande Bellezza - The Dream Factory, a project launched

by Starhotels in 2019 to support Italian artistic craftsmanship. Conceived

by Elisabetta Fabri, the President and CEO, the platform brings together institutions such as the OMA Association (Osservatorio dei Mestieri d’Arte) and the Cologni Foundation, and, among its many initiatives, awards biennial prizes to works that exemplify technical excellence and creativity.

From the Selvatica wallpaper by Fabscarte (2020) to Primitivo, the floral composition by Andrea Bouquet (2022) and Amphora by Cecilia Rinaldi (2024), the prize has showcased artisans who are able to combine tradition and innovation. The group’s commitment to craftsmanship is also reflected in the restyling of other iconic properties, such as the Helvetia & Bristol in Florence and the Hotel d’Inghilterra in Rome, where weavers, glassmakers and carpenters contributed to preserving the unique character of the spaces. Starhotels has simultaneously created artisanal home décor collections, such as Cloris, a tableware set in blown glass and linen, and Phoenix, a fragrance-sculpture combining Murano glass, hand-cut metals and signature perfumes.

STARHOTELS’ LOCATIONS

In recent years, the group’s hotels have become “platforms for beauty”, thanks to initiatives such as the Craft Experiences, which take guests to artisanal workshops across the city, and the Theatres of Beauty, which showcase works and objects available for purchase, evoking the spirit of the Grand Tour. The new Gabrielli is clearly more than a hotel: it is a cornerstone of a strategy that unites hospitality and culture, reinforcing the connection between Italy and its heritage of craftsmanship. Like the city that hosts it, the Gabrielli is a place capable of renewing itself without losing its memory, projecting the timeless charm of its history into the future.

Hotel Gabrielli Venezia - Starhotels Collezione Suite Lagoon View

Click on the QR code for the Italian version ↓

■ Giulio Solfrizzi

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Iconic Italian Brands

in an Exhibition on the Identity of Italy At the M9 Museum in Mestre a celebration of Made in Italy, through its most renowned brands, takes centre stage.

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ot just logos and products, but a collective story of Italy told through the brands that have shaped the daily life of the country.

From 27 September 2025 through to 15 February 2026, the M9 Museum in Mestre will host Identitalia. The Iconic Italian Brands. The exhibition, curated by Carlo Martino and Francesco Zurlo, explores the history of more than one hundred iconic brands of Made in Italy. In an exclusive interview, Serena Bertolucci, Director of the Museum, explains how the exhibition reflects M9’s cultural mission: transforming the industrial and visual history of the 20th - cen-

tury into a lens for understanding the present. The exhibition opens with a celebration of the 140th anniversary of the Italian Patent and Trademark Office (UIBM), bringing together past and future, engaging multiple generations, and presenting a rich mosaic of Italian culture.

How does the exhibition Identitalia. The Iconic Italian Brands reflect M9’s exhibition program and cultural mission?

This exhibition is ideal for two reasons. First, in its themes, approaches, and methods, it aligns perfectly with M9’s mission: to make the histo-

ry of the 20 - th century as accessible as possible in all its multidisciplinary forms. One cannot really understand 20 - th century Italy without considering and understanding the country’s economic development - a process emblematic of the century itself. Second, our permanent collections, with their focus on material history and the evolution of Italian society, naturally amplify and enrich the ideas presented in the exhibition. It is a true museological affinity, where the permanent enhances the temporary (and vice versa), not through force or overlap, but by expanding its scope.

M9 has been called “a laboratory of the contemporary.” How does this project engage with the present while telling the industrial and visual history of the 20th century?

This is the essence of public history: rendering the past understandable and relevant to today’s society by creating and sharing knowledge.

This is why M9 is contemporary - because it uses history in the service of the present, with contemporary methods and languages. By showcasing some of Italy’s most important companies and industries, this exhibition ultimately speaks to who we are today, blending digital and analog tools in a seamless, accessible way

What kind of impact do you hope this exhibition will have on the public, both local and national?

Identitalia is an exhibition intended for everyone, regardless of background or age. I hope it inspires young people while sparking memories for older visitors, creating a new sense of energy. We expect strong interest from schools of all levels and are preparing dedicated workshops.

Alongside this, we will offer a public programme for the local community with special initiatives. In short, we are confident this will truly be an exhibition for everyone.

■ Lara Gastaldi

1. T he Anniversary of the Italian Patent and Trademark Office

Creating an exhibition on the great brands of Made in Italy, forging a new narrative around the industrial and commercial identities of our country […] is both a complex and bold task. It is complex because the brands embody condensed centuries of history, knowledge, and events tied to anthropology, law, economics, the sociology of culture and communication, and, not least, design and the wider culture of projects. […] It is bold because, given the sheer number of entities involved, […] the risk of creating a superficial narrative is high. The opportunity to create Identitalia came from a significant milestone: the 140th anniversary of the Italian Patent and Trademark Office (UIBM).

2. Made in Italy Between History and Future

The exhibition represents an opportunity to showcase the great brands of Made in Italy, not only in retrospective form — as illustrated by the partnership between the Association of Historic Brands and the selection of vintage patent images - but also in a visionary way, where new technologies […] and innovative media used in the building of the Brand Equity project these brands and companies into the future.

3. The Collective Intelligence of Italian Brands

The exhibition represents everyday life as a mosaic of over 100 tiles, each contributing to a possible version of our history. Each tile - or brand - only makes sense in connection with the others, within a broader social and cultural framework. Whoever reassembles the puzzle effectively stages the actions planned, calculated, studied by the creator of that composition. Here, however, there is no single author. Instead, there is a collective intelligence which, grounded in a shared and unique vision, reveals a dynamic country, where stories intertwine with territories and subcultures, shaping the ingredients of these brands’ success. These tiles tell another Italian story - through the subtle traces of everyday life - of people seeking to understand, through artefacts and brands, the cultural and social dynamics of a group, a subculture, or a community.

PLACES

M9 Museum in Mestre

The exhibition is structured as a journey through a typical day in a person’s life. What led you to choose this temporal framework as the key to interpretation?

This concept was a brilliant intuition of the curators, Professors Carlo Martino and Francesco Zurlo, and it gives the exhibition its narrative drive.

Instead of presenting a straightforward chronological list of industries and products, they chose a temporal framework that feels more engaging and relevant. Progress, industrial vision, and design are close to us—they touch every aspect of our lives, even our dreams and desires. I think that the trajectory is surprising in this sense, reminding us that history is part of our everyday experience even in something as simple as having a coffee.

THE CURATORS SPEAK

CARLO MARTINO & FRANCESCO ZURLO

4. The Emotional Impact of “Made by Hand in Italy”

In all, this exhibition is a celebration of the minutiae of everyday life, by placing people at the centre. […] The brands on display offer two key functions. On the one hand, they foster adherence to a shared value system through symbols, resonances, traces, metaphors, and clues that link back to other symbols embedded in our culture and history. We give meaning to brands and to their narratives by connecting these signs to the ones we already hold. Even when we encounter “positive deviations”, they do not unsettle us; instead, they forge new meanings and functions. The bond we form with these signs - especially those of brands - is emotional rather than purely functional, rooted in affection. (LG)

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Gucci Archive at Palazzo Settimanni in Florence

Beauty in Transit

From Fashion Archives to Reinvention

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reserving beauty means recognising its ability to regenerate itself, without reducing this act of care to simple material conservation. This is why fashion archives and museums are not mere repositories of objects, but active sources of inspiration, capable of transforming traces of the past into new forms and meanings. For the fifth issue of Artribune Focus Moda, dedicated to the theme Preserving Beauty, the Wunderkammer column explores a selection of designers and archival pieces that embody this ongoing process of reinvention.

REINVENTING ART

HERITAGE AS CREATIVE VALUE

Frida Giannini understood this well. During her tenure as Gucci’s Creative Director (20062014), she transformed the brand’s history into a tool for renewal, reinterpreting cult accessories and reviving the Flora print, initially designed by illustrator Vittorio Accornero in 1966 for a scarf to be gifted to Grace Kelly. These initiatives were accompanied by the publication of celebratory photography books and the opening of the Gucci Museum in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria, laying the foundation for a model of enhancing beauty that many heritage fashion houses have since embraced. Her successor, Alessandro Michele (2015-2022), carried forward and relaunched this legacy with an eclectic and inclusive approach, revolutionising beauty standards and challenging gender conventions that had long been entrenched in clothing, drawing on key decades of the brand and on costume history. In 2021, to mark the house’s centenary, Michele inaugurated the new Gucci Archive at Palazzo Settimanni, the historic venue of the brand’s artisanal workshop in Florence’s Oltrarno district. This shows that in a world where innovation builds on what came before, preserving beauty means granting it new possibilities of life. Archives and museums do not freeze the past as something to be admired, but set it back into circulation as language, material, and imagery. Within this tension between memory and reinvention, fashion continues to reveal its most authentic power: transforming inherited beauty into a beauty of the future.

WUNDERKAMMER

Art history has long been a source of inspiration for Italian prêt-à-porter, with countless references to styles, periods and movements.

It is no surprise that many of its leading figures were also collectors, from Gianni Versace to Laura Biagiotti and Valentino Garavani.

From the earliest days of “Made in Italy”, Marquis Emilio Pucci showed how beauty could transcend centuries. In his Botticelliana collection (1959), he breathed new life into the masterpieces of the Florentine Renaissance master, playfully reinterpreting family-owned works such as the Nastagio degli Onesti series (1483) with his distinctive ironic touch.

Among the images accompanying the Siciliana collection (1955) are striking photographs of a model in a bikini lying on the Roman mosaics of Piazza Armerina, portrayed as if she were playing ball with women of the fourth century AD, creating a visual contrast that spans millennia.

Fashion archives and museums play a crucial role in this dialogue between past and present, acting as laboratories for new possibilities. Once a garment enters these institutions, its status shifts: from lived object to historical document, subject to careful preservation and restoration. Yet major seasonal exhibitions at the MET and the Victoria & Albert Museum

show that these items are not destined for oblivion. On the contrary, through their display, they continue to live with renewed purpose, enriching visitors’ visual culture and inspiring fresh ideas of beauty.

■ Alessandro Masetti

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SPAZIO ESPOSITIVO Saving Grace Curated by ■ Alessia Caliendo

Francesca Allen

Cecilia Pignocchi

Bobby Beasley

Gabriele Barbagallo & Sofia Salerno

Alice Muratore

Today, beauty is both a battleground and a site of care. The Exhibition Space of this Focus Moda explores what it means to “preserve” beauty, through key iconography, image technology and new imaginings. Among these pages you will find five new editorial projects by photographers and artists, navigating themes ranging from memory and body politics to the digital future.

WHO IS WHO

SPAZIO ESPOSITIVO

FRANCESCA ALLEN

A photographer and filmmaker born in 1993, Allen is known for her intimate depictions of girlhood and the complexities of coming of age. She has worked with magazines including Dazed, the British Journal of Photography, i-D and American Vogue. Her brand collaborations include Adidas, SSENSE, Nike, On Running, Chopova Lowena and Calvin Klein. Allen has had her work exhibited at various institutions including Somerset House and London’s The Photographers’ Gallery. She has published the photography books Plaukai (2025), I’d like to get to know you (2022) and Aya (2018). She lives and works in London. Her photography constructs close-up, narrative portraits that focus on the relationship with her subjects and the emotional undertones of the passage from adolescence to adulthood.

CECILIA PIGNOCCHI

An art director and multidisciplinary artist, born in 1991. Pignocchi works across photography, film, collage and illustration. In 2023, after eight years at Wieden+Kennedy in Amsterdam, Pignocchi took a year long sabbatical during which her first photography series, Tempo Bello, was born. In 2021, she co-directed the documentary Grottarolli, which was presented at the Tribeca Film Festival. In 2021, she developed Be Independent, an intimate project created with her mother on the subject of female identity. She lives in Italy and alternates between commissioned work and personal research. In her images, she favours hybrid languages and an essential narrative structure, maintaining a dialogue between personal experience and the public gaze.

BOBBY BEASLEY

Self-taught photographer, creative and documentarian, born in 1982 and based in Hull (England). His family’s vintage clothes store, active in the city centre for over forty years, has shaped his eye for the everyday. Beasley carries his camera with him, focusing on family, friends and chance encounters that spark his imagination. He gravitates towards familiar objects and situations, using flash and movement to create chaotic and sometimes surreal images. He has exhibited in Hull, Brighton, Paris, Lille and Mi-

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lan. His photographs have been shown in large format in the Paris metro for Circulations 2021 and in 2023 at the Lancashire Photography Festival in Preston. Publications include The New Yorker, MAPS, The Face, The New York Times, New York Magazine, Bon Appétit, Madame Figaro, More or Less, Die Zeit, and Philosophie Magazine.

GABRIELE BARBAGALLO

A visual artist born in 2001, whose research spans identity, memory and the impact of technology on perception. In 2024, he was selected for Ingenium, a residency and exhibition in collaboration with the Colosseum Archeological Park in Rome, and published by Silvana Editoriale. He took part in JR’s Inside Out project at Milan’s Museo del Novecento and was artist in residence together with Joan Fontcuberta at the Natural History Museum in Milan. In 2025, his work was presented at MART, the Galleria Civica in Trento. He has participated in the MEET Digital Culture Center and at PhEST at the Italian Photography Festival of Bibbiena.

Barbagallo is the founder of Alt_Ra, a curatorial project and collective dedicated to augmented reality and presented at PhEST, INSIGHT and at various other events. Solo shows include In the Name of the Algorithm (Spazio Piera, University of Trento) and the exhibition that won the Francesco Convertini Prize. His work combines photography, performance and digital media, pulling together archival remnants and speculative narratives.

ALICE MURATORE

A photographer and visual artist, born in 2002.

Her practice adopts a multimedia approach that interweaves photography, performance art, installations and video art. Her research, poetic and existential in nature, explores themes of the duality between life and death, transcendence, identity, memory and the interconnection between the human experience and every other form of life or non-life. Through experimental practices and transversal processes, infused with philosophical, anthropological, ecological and spiritual references, her work moves along liminal trajectories in which the visible blends with the invisible, revealing new possibilities for perceiving and inhabiting reality.