SAN CLEMENTE PALACE KEMPINSKI

VENICE, ITALY

San Clemente Palace Kempinski, the exclusive luxury resort on its own private island in the Venice lagoon, located eight minutes from the bustling St. Mark’s Square, recently launched two new exhibits in honor of the 58th Venice Biennale with sculptures by English artist Tony Cragg and Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos. Cragg’s nature-inspired collection has four sculptures on display with three in the main garden (Caught Dreaming, Runner and We) and his work Pair in the hotel lobby.

In a new exhibit curated by Nina Moaddel titled What are you hiding? May you find what you are looking for, Joana Vasconcelos blends the

58th Venice Biennale’s theme, May you live in interesting times, with Portuguese pop culture, reinterpreting contemporary art. One of the three fascinating pieces of Vasconcelos that San Clemente Palace is showcasing includes I’ll be Your Mirror #1 (2019), a giant Venetian carnival mask made of mirrors, which has previously been exhibited in the Guggenheim Museum Bilboa. Viewers can look through the mask from any angle without ever losing sight of their own reflection.

Also featured in the gardens is (Betty Boop PA), Vasconcelos’ most iconic work and part of the artist’s famous shoe series. The high-heeled shoe is crafted out of saucepans and questions the meaning of the word ‘feminine’ in today’s world.

Vasconcelos first became known internationally after her participation in the 51st Venice Biennale in 2005; and in 2012, she became the first woman (and the youngest artist) to exhibit at the Palace of Versailles.

https://www.kempinski.com/en/venice/san-clemente-palace-kempinski/