The Only True Protest is Beauty
The Only True Protest is Beauty, Fondazione Dries Van Noten’s inaugural show at the Palazzo Pisani Moretta, is an illuminating presentation of contemporary fashion, design and craft that speaks to tradition, innovation and the power of art in all its senses. The show closes on October 4th.
Installed across three floors of the historic palazzo on Venice’s Grand Canal, The Only True Protest is Beauty “explores craftsmanship as a language of expression and a conduit for emotion.” Beautifully curated by Dries Van Noten, the show mixes fashion, jewellery, art, collectible design, photography, glass, ceramics and material experimentation. The result is a visual and emotional encounter with art and craft that feels radical and refreshing. Steven Shearer’s photographs ground us in a contemporary reality while a precious jewel or ceramic sculpture placed against the palazzo’s noble interiors reminds us of history and heritage. The exhibition is guided by textures, tones and forms, a space where a large sculpture of found materials by Peter Buggenhout can sit next to an exquisite dress by Comme des Garçons in seamless dialogue, each revealing something new about the other.
There is a rhythm and movement to the works on view and Van Noten’s expertise and insight with patterns, materials and design is transferred throughout the installation. The natural relationship between past and present comes through in such works as the delicate, handcrafted ceramic vessels by Paris-based artist Kaori Kurihara that sit on an original hand carved niche of palazzo with a gold velvet fabric as a perfect background.
Other highlights include Pao Hui Kao’s Original Paper Pleats Lounge Chair and Isaac Monte’s Crystallized Blue in Green vase, whose shimmer and colour calls to mind precious jewels and materials. The title of the show, The Only True Protest is Beauty, is part of a longer phrase by American songwriter and political activist Phil Ochs, whose songs became protest anthems of the 1960s: “In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty.” Beauty is not about prettiness, but as something meant to unsettle, charge, awaken, and create space for the new. This is inspiration that is felt in the show itself and hopefully something people will take with them as well, an encouragement to think differently.
“We are interested in beauty not as an answer, but as a question” say founders Dries Van Noten and Patrick Vangheluwe. “It is not an escape from reality, but a way of engaging with it. When beauty allows for ambiguity, slowness, and contradiction, when it disturbs rather than resolves, then it becomes a subtle form of protest. This Presentation is an invitation to look longer, to stay with uncertainty, and to recognize making as a deeply human act in which concept and craft converge, carrying both culture and the memory of the hands.”
After the foundation closes on October 4th, the building will undergo essential structural restoration before reopening in 2027. Van Noten has stated that the foundation won’t have a permanent collection but will be a space of experimentation and flexibility, allowing them to curate exhibitions that speak of the time and their mood rather than through a set collection. In an interview with Marie Honnay for TL Mag Online, Van Noten explained: “I see this new adventure as an act of creation. Even when we talk about restoration — whether it involves pure technique or purely aesthetic choices — creativity is required. I also want to bring together different approaches in order to keep surprising people.”
The Only True Protest is Beauty is on view through October 4th.
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