Drawing inspiration from Walter Benjamin’s 1926 analysis of German Baroque drama, where art aimed to overwhelm the observer through saturation and theatricality, Dries Van Noten’s inaugural exhibition at his Venetian Foundation echoes this sentiment. Benjamin re-evaluated the Baroque as a philosophical endeavor to make sense of a fragmented world, contrasting the Renaissance ideal of unity with the Baroque’s tension and emotional engagement. A century later, the roots of this analysis are evident in the exhibition titled The Only True Protest is Beauty, a phrase borrowed from American singer-songwriter and activist Phil Ochs.
The exhibition suggests an ethical dimension to beauty, where opulence and excess serve as a means to navigate an increasingly dramatic reality. As the founders, designer Dries Van Noten and his partner Patrick Vangheluwe, explain, “It is not an escape from reality, but a way to confront it. When beauty gives way to ambiguity, slowness, and contradiction, when it disturbs rather than resolves, then it becomes a subtle form of protest.” Their recently acquired Venetian palace, Palazzo Pisani Moretta, now opens its doors to showcase over 200 meticulously crafted objects, spanning art, design, and fashion.
While the exhibition’s twenty rooms are notionally divided into thematic sections, the experience flows through associations rather than strict boundaries. Objects and artworks find their natural place within the historic rooms, seamlessly integrated into existing drawers, cabinets, and furniture. This creates a dialogue between precious artifacts and the palace itself. Van Noten, who curated the exhibition, embraces this blurring of distinctions and tendency towards accumulation. Rather than a thematic breakdown, the exhibition presents itself as a curated list of wonders.
Among the remarkable pieces and historical details on display are: rough bronze and Damascus steel cutlery; coral necklaces; Murano glass petals and stems; a Tiepolo frescoed ceiling; antique and designer chairs; archival silhouettes by Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons; ambiguous and dusty sculptures by Peter Buggenhout; bowls filled with amethyst; Guarana’s The Victory of Light over Darkness; and intricate lacework, velvets, and chrysalises adorned with gold, pearls, rubies, and diamonds.
The opulent setting is further enriched by recurring elements such as the exquisite jewelry of Codognato, showcased in vitrines throughout the palace, and the refined, opulent silhouettes of French designer Christian Lacroix, which punctuate the rooms like Baroque specters. The trio of notable presences is completed by photographer Steven Shearer, whose colossal portraits of sleeping figures act as almost synthetic walls, both separating and connecting the spaces.
By intuitively and non-hierarchically inhabiting the palace, Van Noten transforms opulence into a vibrant dialogue across distant eras. While original Baroque art sought to captivate through saturation, here, excess becomes a tool for reflection, an invitation to confront the complexity of reality without averting one’s gaze.
