Venice is a woman: Diane von Furstenberg’s project at the Biennale Architettura 2025 is also part of a new book
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Architect, Maritime Engineer, Merchant, Financier, Muse, Diplomat, Judge and Mother of the Republic: those are the eight identities of Venezia-Donna according to Diane von Furstenberg, creator of the initiative that finds an important amplifier in the marsilioarte.it/en/magazine/venice-exhibitions-april-2025/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biennale Architettura 2025 – entitled Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective. ‒, curated by Carlo Ratti. The eight flags, arranged along the avenue in front of the Central Pavilion of the Giardini della Biennale di Venezia, are included in the La Libreria project, the bookshop of the Biennale Architettura 2025, presented by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Diane von Furstenberg, Schlaich Bergermann Partner, Transsolar and included in the section of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition called Venice as a Living Lab.
The faces of Venezia Donna illustrated by the artist Konstantin Kakanias are also contained in the book Serenissima. Solution & Seduction, published by Marsilio Arte and accompanied by the words not only of Diane von Furstenberg, but also of the historian Tiziana Plebani, invited to lend her voice to Venice, which tells its story in the first person. The result is a mosaic made up of words and images, which combines Venice’s past with a present that is constantly changing. We asked Diane von Furstenberg a few questions.
In the introduction to Serenissima. Solution & Seduction you write: “Carlo Ratti, curator of the Biennale Architettura 2025, amused by my passion for Venezia Donna, proposed that I develop a project inspired by this vision”. How did this collaboration come about and how did it materialize?
About four years ago, reading the biography of Venice by the American historian Thomas Madden, I imagined Venice as a woman, the woman I would have liked to be. Two years ago I met Carlo Ratti in Davos and probably shared this idea with him too. Then one day, while he was preparing the Biennale di Architettura and thinking about the new temporary bookshop – to replace the one in the Central Pavilion of the Giardini, currently closed for restoration ‒, we spoke again and he suggested I develop that idea of mine. I really love flags, and in order to illustrate the eight incarnations of Venezia Donna on them I brought my friend, the artist Konstantin Kakanias, on board. The flags fly outside the pavilion-bookstore designed by architect Liz Diller, whom I collaborated with in New York.
In an increasingly complex present for women, what meaning does the image of Venezia Donna have?
The flag is a symbol with many meanings, and it is important that the ones created for the 2025 Biennale remind people, as soon as they cross the threshold, that Venice is a woman, with all the identities described in the book. These are flags of femininity, a concept that encompasses the balance between solution and seduction.
Serenissima. Solution & Seduction is the result of a collective effort: the idea is yours, the illustrations are by Konstantin Kakanias, the texts by Tiziana Plebani. What prompted you to create this volume and who is it aimed at?
I wanted to create a memento of the project and showcase it. I got the historian Tiziana Plebani involved by asking her to write from the point of view of Venice, having her speak in the first person. Then we included the illustrated works by Konstantin Kakanias and very quickly we had created the book. I never have a specific audience in mind, I think of the message I want to communicate.
You know Venice well and live there. Why did you choose it?
In a historical moment like the current one, living in a city like Venice, a symbol of resilience, gives me optimism and courage.
Interview by Arianna Testino
The faces of Venezia Donna illustrated by the artist Konstantin Kakanias are also contained in the book Serenissima. Solution & Seduction, published by Marsilio Arte and accompanied by the words not only of Diane von Furstenberg, but also of the historian Tiziana Plebani, invited to lend her voice to Venice, which tells its story in the first person. The result is a mosaic made up of words and images, which combines Venice’s past with a present that is constantly changing. We asked Diane von Furstenberg a few questions.
In the introduction to Serenissima. Solution & Seduction you write: “Carlo Ratti, curator of the Biennale Architettura 2025, amused by my passion for Venezia Donna, proposed that I develop a project inspired by this vision”. How did this collaboration come about and how did it materialize?
About four years ago, reading the biography of Venice by the American historian Thomas Madden, I imagined Venice as a woman, the woman I would have liked to be. Two years ago I met Carlo Ratti in Davos and probably shared this idea with him too. Then one day, while he was preparing the Biennale di Architettura and thinking about the new temporary bookshop – to replace the one in the Central Pavilion of the Giardini, currently closed for restoration ‒, we spoke again and he suggested I develop that idea of mine. I really love flags, and in order to illustrate the eight incarnations of Venezia Donna on them I brought my friend, the artist Konstantin Kakanias, on board. The flags fly outside the pavilion-bookstore designed by architect Liz Diller, whom I collaborated with in New York.
In an increasingly complex present for women, what meaning does the image of Venezia Donna have?
The flag is a symbol with many meanings, and it is important that the ones created for the 2025 Biennale remind people, as soon as they cross the threshold, that Venice is a woman, with all the identities described in the book. These are flags of femininity, a concept that encompasses the balance between solution and seduction.
Serenissima. Solution & Seduction is the result of a collective effort: the idea is yours, the illustrations are by Konstantin Kakanias, the texts by Tiziana Plebani. What prompted you to create this volume and who is it aimed at?
I wanted to create a memento of the project and showcase it. I got the historian Tiziana Plebani involved by asking her to write from the point of view of Venice, having her speak in the first person. Then we included the illustrated works by Konstantin Kakanias and very quickly we had created the book. I never have a specific audience in mind, I think of the message I want to communicate.
You know Venice well and live there. Why did you choose it?
In a historical moment like the current one, living in a city like Venice, a symbol of resilience, gives me optimism and courage.
Interview by Arianna Testino
