Who Looks at What? with artist S.O.B.

Who Looks at What? with artist S.O.B. is the next workshop in Overcoming: Art Practices for the New Normal, a series of workshops for young audiences under 25 years of age.

Stefano Ogliari Badessi, aka S.O.B., is a nomadic installation artist who finds inspiration in nature and dreams. He will lead the workshop Who Looks at What? that will take place on October 29-31 on the island of Certosa in Venice. This will be the second workshop in Overcoming: Art Practices for the New Normal, a series of four free workshops that the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, with the participation of Swatch Art Peace Hotel, offers to young audiences under 25 years of age. In preparation for the three days on the island of Certosa, two meetings via the Zoom platform, open to all, will take place on October 19 and 26, 5–7pm.

S.O.B. finds that the inseparable relationship between the city of Venice and water is related to a statement by Amedeo Modigliani: “When I know your soul, I will paint your eyes.” In the workshop, he will examine and honor this relationship, and highlight the importance and potential of the floating and liquid soul of Venice. He will lead participants to transform found materials and create a large floating installation of two “eyes.” The installation will then be towed along the canals of Venice towards the Arsenale. The eye is one of the most complex and mysterious symbols, which was regarded as divine by ancient Mesopotamian civilizations. As such, S.O.B. wishes to allow the soul of Venice to resurface and then symbolically float along the canals.

Carlo Giordanetti, C.E.O. of Swatch Art Peace Hotel, commented: “I met Stefano in his golden sphere in our artist residence in Shanghai. It was the beginning of a journey. In keeping with his creative values, Swatch accompanied him to many magical places: the terrace of the Hotel Excelsior on the Lido of Venice during the 2015 Art Biennale, the icy peaks of Verbier, the roof of the company’s headquarters in Milan, and a transparent box in the middle of via Montenapoleone in Milan. Each location represented a new dream, a new experience, a new compelling game in which Swatch and S.O.B. engaged the public. Today, this journey is enriched with another magical place that attracts young people to the island of Certosa, thanks to the collaboration of Swatch Art Peace Hotel with the wonderful and exciting Peggy Guggenheim Collection. We are happy and curious to open new eyes!”

Following S.O.B.’s workshop, Overcoming: Art Practices for the New Normal will continue with Alice Pasquini and Cecilia Jansson. Reflecting on solutions to solving life’s daily problems, while meeting contemporary challenges, the workshops seek to act as tools in overcoming current limitations. Artistic dialogue and practice allow for new visions and processes that are useful in facing the challenges that await us.

Participation is free and registration is required, subject to availability. The in-person workshops will be preceded by meetings with the artists via the Zoom platform, open to all. In addressing the issues of the contemporary world through the lens of art, Overcoming: Art Practices for the New Normal is part of the collaboration, which started in 2018, between the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and ASviS, the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development that promotes the 17 Goals of the United Nations 2030 agenda. The project focuses on quality education, goal number four of the 2030 agenda.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS