Best in Show: Homo Faber 2024

BEST IN SHOW | HAPPENINGS | CABANA MAGAZINE

The third edition of Homo Faber in Venice was a triumph, with artistic director Luca Guadagnino delivering drama and elevating craftsmanship to the pedestal it rightly deserves. Read on for some of Cabana's 'best in show' highlights. 

BY SARA PIERDONÁ | HAPPENINGS | 14 OCTOBER 2024

The Venetian island of San Giorgio is a special place: located almost in line with the famous San Todaro column, but separated by a canal that makes it seem remote and mysterious. It is far from the well-trodden tourist routes, but for the entire month of September it became crowded, and even more special.

For this is where the third edition of Homo Faber 2024 took place, a biennial exhibition dedicated to excellence in craftsmanship. The high expectations created by Luca Guadagnino's contribution as art director were met: vast halls were used to display artefacts from all over the world, while the 50,000-plus visitors were treated to a succession of astonishing sets and unexpected optical effects, playful and dramatic. The theme was also a tribute to travel and discovery in its deepest sense.

The title, The Journey of Life, was chosen both as an indicator of the extraordinary variety of ethnic groups and local techniques represented by the artisans in the exhibition, and the path taken by the visitor who, one stage after another, is transported inside a mythological exodus of growth and wonder. Read on to discover Cabana's 'best in show' highlights from Homo Faber 2024.

Leonardo Frigo, globe maker 

Globe maker Leonardo Frigo, pictured at his London studio working on his masterpiece for Homo Faber 2024; © Homo Faber; Michelangelo Foundation

It is perhaps fitting that we begin our list of favorites with a Venetian. One day, the very young Leonardo Frigo, fresh from his studies in restoration, came across an ancient manual, Epitome Cosmografica by Vincenzo Coronelli, which explained in detail how to make a globe using a wooden sphere, a jute covering and natural resins obtained by processes whose technique had been forgotten.

Now based in London, Leonardo makes the most sophisticated globes for villas and museums that are most attentive to the fidelity of this historical reproduction.

Percossi Papi, jewellers

A casket by Percossi Papi, inspired by the Visconti-Sforza tarot, created for Homo Faber 2024 © Camilla Frances. 

This Roman workshop, which reproduces jewellery in the style of the imperial era rediscovered during the Grand Tour and then forgotten again, unleashed the impressive skills of their craftsmen with a casket inspired by the Visconti-Sforza tarot. It took months of painstaking work to shape the major arcana in this riot of enamel and precious stones, and the result is perhaps one of the most fine creations of the entire exhibition. Read more about Percossi Papi.

Bernard Heesen, glass maker

Bernard Heesen with one of his creations for Homo Faber 2024, pictured in his Leerdam studio with collaborator Nienke Sikkema © Homo Faber.

This Dutch master of glass, known for his astonishing technique, originally began his career as an architect. Perhaps something of his architectural background remains, as his career as a craftsman features bold and imposing works, such as a 30-meter-high tower filled with crystal bells.

Among his creations for Homo Faber 2024 is a transparent amphora with zoomorphic elements—a highly sophisticated piece that not only demonstrates his exceptional skill but also reflects his ongoing exploration of historical masterpieces through ancient texts. Read more about Bernard Heesen.

Dayra Benavides, mask artist 

Colombian mask by Dayra Benavides for Homo Faber 2024 © Camilla Frances.

The exhibition presented a succession of rooms with evocative names and works inspired by them: there was the Love room, the Childhood room and the Birth room - towards the end, also the Death room. Halfway between these two extremes, a room immersed in darkness and particularly spectacular went by the name of Dreams (whether they were pleasant or nightmares was up to the visitor to decide).

The mask presented by Dayra and competing with other ‘faces’ from all over the world was colourful and enigmatic, with all the chiaroscuro of the Colombian tradition summed up in a few strokes. In her workshop, Dayra makes masks for national carnivals and rock bands and calls herself a child of art, having a dancer and a mopa mopa paint specialist for a mother and father respectively.

Lila Tabasso, glass artist

Lilla Tabasso, who works with glass in her home studio in Milan, had already caught our attention for the captivating hyperrealism of her work. Her creations are exclusively floral: "I don't think I will ever get bored of them, because I use them as a metaphor for something else... to express my feelings."

At Homo Faber 2024, Lilla's bouquet takes center stage in the "love and courtship" themed section, surrounded by a delicate riot of similarly enchanting floral pieces. "The first flower I made, in 2003, was a pansy—called in Italian viola del pensiero, the flower of thought. From this alone, you can understand the spiritual value that flowers hold for me," Lilla tells Cabana. Read more about Lilla Tabasso.

Sophie Blanc, gilder and artist 

Murmures by Sophie Blanc for Homo Faber 2024 © Samuel Cortes

Sophie's work gleamed within a room resembling a flowery greenhouse or an artificial Eden: taken as a universal symbol of love and courtship, flowers of different materials and guises, arranged as sumptuous bouquets or minimalist stems, stood out within a bright space filled with precious display cases.

Sophie Blanc at work in her studio © Marion Saupin

Sophie, using a very delicate process, coats the plants she collects in nature in gold, with results of incorporeal beauty. With a background as a cabinetmaker, her creations flow from a love of nature and endless walks in the woods - as well as years of practice and attempts to achieve ideal artistic expression.

Geoffrey Preston, plaster artist

Geoffrey's plaster work for Homo Faber 2024 © Christopher Horwood

Geoffrey Preston deserves great recognition: it is partly thanks to him that the lost art of stucco has experienced a revival. His workshop is a magical space where, in the soft English light, the white of his creations stands out in elaborate forms.

Geoffrey’s journey began with a dramatic event: in 1989, Uppark House burned down, and he became involved in the restoration of its 18th-century ceilings, which required the rediscovery of techniques that had been lost for generations. Read more.