March 17, 2026

FONDAZIONE DRIES VAN NOTEN ANNOUNCES ITS FIRST PRESENTATION: THE ONLY TRUE PROTEST IS BEAUTY

Fondazione Dries Van Noten
Palazzo Pisani Moretta
San Polo, 2766, 30125 Venice, Italy
25 April – 4 October 2026

Fondazione Dries Van Noten is proud to present THE ONLY TRUE PROTEST IS BEAUTY, opening 25 April 2026, in Venice. The Presentation stands as an exploration of beauty as a force of provocation, reflection and transformation. The title draws from a line 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”. Here, the concept of beauty is not understood as mere prettiness, but as a moment of intensity: a charged encounter, an unexpected harmony, or a subtle disturbance capable of unsettling, awakening, and creating space for the new.

Curated by Dries Van Noten with Geert Bruloot, the Presentation explores craftsmanship as a language of expression and a conduit for emotion. It moves beyond conventional disciplinary borders, gathering fashion, jewellery, art, collectible design, photography, glass, ceramics, and material experimentation within a shared investigation of beauty’s ability to question norms and disrupt dogma. The Presentation unfolds as a constellation of encounters, where established and emerging talents meet in ever‑shifting dialogue. Spanning the ground floor and the first and second Piano Nobile levels of Palazzo Pisani Moretta, it spreads across a sequence of 20 intuitively composed rooms. Here, more than 200 works enter into conversation with the architecture, history, and decorative language of the Palazzo, shaping a narrative guided by instinct rather than rigid logic.

Selected pieces from established fashion houses' archives are presented together with contemporary textile pieces, underscoring an enduring role as medium of cultural expression and affirming its capacity to generate critical and poetic statements. Collectible art and design objects coexist with experimental works – by both independent creatives and artists represented by internationally renowned galleries – together forging new directions in sensorial storytelling and material exploration. Moreover, Traditional craftsmanship is showcased alongside innovative international voices, reflecting the Fondazione’s commitment to both safeguarding heritage and nurturing new talents and views. Collectively, these artifacts articulate the Fondazione’s mission: to honor the human dimension of making and the narratives embedded within each object.

More than 20 behind‑the‑scenes videos accompany the Presentation, offering glimpses into the making-of processes and featuring brief conversations with the creators, who reflect on the gestures, intentions, and processes that shape each piece. “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.”

HIGHLIGHTS ACROSS THE PRESENTATION
The journey begins in the portego on the ground floor (the axis linking the land entrance to the water gates on the Grand Canal) where an enigmatic sculpture by Peter Buggenhout (Axel Vervoordt Gallery) immediately sets the tone. Its ambiguous, dust‑laden presence invites reflection on the uncertainty and impermanence of human experience, introducing the interplay of contemplation and disturbance that reverberates throughout the Presentation. The dialogue between the works and the Palazzo reveals itself immediately: in the first salon on the first Piano Nobile floor, the ceiling depicting The Victory of Light over Darkness by Guarana (a scholar of Giambattista Tiepolo) becomes the canopy under which Steven Shearer’s (David Zwirner and Galerie Eva Presenhuber) contemporary photographs of sleeping subjects enter into dramatic conversation with the Memento Mori–inspired jewellery masterpieces of Codognato, alongside statement couture pieces by Christian Lacroix and Comme des Garçons.

Fashion holds a central, structuring role within the Presentation, appearing from the first room to the last as both medium and method, a vehicle through which beauty becomes inquiry, while simultaneously tracing the transition of Dries Van Noten’s creative career trajectory. Fifteen silhouettes by Christian Lacroix, including long‑unseen sourced from private collections, reveal the designer’s theatrically layered constructions, resonating with the Palazzo’s ornamental language and the narratives embedded within its rooms. In parallel, archival silhouettes by Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons (from 2015 onward) showcase sculptural, concept‑driven forms whose voluminous, abstract constructions operate as autonomous presences, questioning conventions of beauty. Extending this conversation to a younger generation, the Presentation introduces the work of Palestinian designer Ayham Hassan, whose practice, shaped by growing up in the West Bank, transforms constraint into a vocabulary of resilience through silhouettes marked by raw, grounded materiality.

In dialogue with these fashion pieces, objects, artworks, and material explorations coexist in a network of resonances, forming shifting and overlapping dialogues. Opulent frescoes of convivial scenes on the walls open a reflection on organic forms and materiality that echoes in the ceramics of Kaori Kurihara. Nearby, the Pisani Moretta family’s historic glassware collection meets the intricate contemporary works of Alexander Kirkeby (Uppercut), Ritsue Mishima (Pierre Marie Giraud Gallery), and Wave Murano Glass, creating a continuum of transparency, fragility, and craft. In the chapel alcove, once veiled by drapes that protected the intimacy of prayer, a sculptural assemblage by Misha Kahn (Friedman Benda) introduces a note of playful irreverence, acting as a prelude to Ann Carrington’s opulent compositions made from discarded metal elements, which subtly unsettle the holiness of the space. Along the path, wonders of nature punctuate the Presentation, from the mineral-crystallized vases of Isaac Monté (Spazio Nobile) to Hubert Duprat (Art : Concept)’s Tube de trichoptère, where insects use precious materials such as gold, pearls, rubies and diamonds instead of sand and twigs to build their armour, transforming into 'goldsmiths'. Further on, an exploration of chairs unfolds, placing the antique seating of the Palazzo in conversation with contemporary creations by Guillermo Santomà, Nifemi Marcus-Bello (both Side Gallery), and Lionel Jadot (Objects With Narratives). These pieces probe the relationship between concept, collectibility, and functionality, revealing new material meanings and the abstractions that emerge from unexpected assemblies.

A fil rouge connects these encounters (of which only a few are evoked here) and their culturally charged narratives: the excellence of making, and the tension between harmony and rupture. Whenever the composition risks becoming too serene, a deliberate interruption introduces dissonant or unsettling forms of beauty, transforming it into something provocative, complex, and alive.

VISITING & PRACTICAL INFORMATION
As Palazzo Pisani Moretta is a private historic residence, access to the Presentation requires particular care. The initiative offers a rare opportunity to experience the Palazzo before its extensive restoration begins, encountering its architecture and remarkable history in its current state. As a non‑profit institution committed to safeguarding this fragile heritage and ensuring the best possible experience within its spaces, Fondazione Dries Van Noten grants access solely through its Become a Friend affiliation program. Participation is formalized through the Friend Card, valid until April 2027, which provides entry to the Presentation alongside selected events and additional benefits. Holders of the Friend Card who may need specific forms of assistance are encouraged to reach out prior to their arrival, allowing the team to facilitate all necessary arrangements. Full details regarding reservations, access, and the affiliation program are available on the Fondazione’s website: www.fondazionedriesvannoten.org

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THE ONLY TRUE PROTEST IS BEAUTY FEATURES THE WORKS OF:
Adeline Halot
Alexander Kirkeby (Uppercut)
Ann Carrington
Arthur Vandergucht (Uppercut)
atelier lachaert dhanis
Audrey Guimard
Ayham Hassan
Bruno Amadi
Bruno Barbon
Chris Fusaro (Uppercut)
Christian Lacroix
Codognato
Comme des Garçons
Ettore Sottsass
Guillermo Santomà (Side Gallery)
Hubert Duprat (Art : Concept)
Isaac Monté (Spazio Nobile)
Joris Laarman (Friedman Benda)
Joseph Arzoumanov
Joyce J Scott (Goya Contemporary Gallery)
Julien d'Ys
Jung Hyeokin (Side Gallery)
Kaori Kurihara
Kate MccGwire
Katsuyo Aoki
Kiko Lopez (Objects With Narratives)
Lionel Jadot (Objects With Narratives)
Lilla Tabasso (Caterina Tognon)
Lukas Wegwerth (Gallery FUMI)
Max Lamb (Gallery FUMI)
Misha Kahn (Friedman Benda)
Monika Rościszewska
Moreno Schweikle (Uppercut)
Nifemi Marcus-Bello (Side Gallery)
Odile Gilbert
Pao Hui Kao (Spazio Nobile)
Peter Buggenhout (Axel Vervoordt Gallery)
Rebecca Manson (Josh Lilley)
Richard Štipl (Steinhauser Gallery)
Ritsue Mishima (Pierre Marie Giraud Gallery)
Seongil Choi (Uppercut)
Sophie Buhai (Anne Sophie Duval Gallery)
Steven Shearer (David Zwirner and Galerie Eva Presenhuber)
Takuro Kuwata
Václav Cigler (Caterina Tognon)
Virginia Leonard (Side Gallery)
Vladimir Slavov (Objects With Narratives)
Wave Murano Glass
Wendy Andreu (Uppercut)
Xavier Mañosa (Side Gallery)

ABOUT FONDAZIONE DRIES VAN NOTEN
Founded by Dries Van Noten and Patrick Vangheluwe and housed within the historic Palazzo Pisani Moretta overlooking the Canal Grande, Fondazione Dries Van Noten celebrates craftsmanship as a vital language of cultural identity. Here, ideas take form through material, gesture, and the patient passage of time, as mind and hands meet in the act of creation. The Fondazione inhabits a space of transition, carrying traditions forward while continually reinventing them. Opening in April 2026, the Fondazione brings together established voices and emerging creators alike across art, design, fashion, architecture, food, and beyond. By encouraging cross-pollination between disciplines, it sparks fresh perspectives, bridges history with the present, and connects creativity rooted in place with global perspectives.