VERSO
2021 – 2022

Verso is a new programme from Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, created in collaboration with Regione Piemonte and the national youth policies department, and devoted to the new generation. It will combine curatorial and educational approaches to explore today’s urgent issues, such as: autonomy and fulfilment of the younger generations, their participation in social and political life, and the prevention and problematisation of ‘new addictions’, which are often a direct product of specific dynamics in our societies. The project will run from May 2021 to July 2022 and is targeted at the 15-29 age group, who will be the prime users and producers of the programme’s activities.

The course will be divided into thematic chapters that will seek to deepen thought on these topics and collectively address the needs of young people from a political perspective and through political tools. Among the areas of research will be: language as a device for producing opinion and subjectivity, the assembly as a place for democratic confrontation, political reasoning as an arena for questioning reality, technology as a tool for constructing the self, and urban space as a scenario for emancipation and the conquest of rights.

During each chapter of VERSO these themes will be explored through different activations that will constitute dialogical and collective knowledge production devices. This includes: group shows with Italian and international artists (with a focus on emerging creatives), public programmes that will involve different educational organisations in the region (institutional and independent), and educational programmes consisting of laboratories, workshops and research groups. An integral part of the programme will be a specially developed digital platform, verso.fsrr.org, which will document and host contents related to the programme and will allow participants to share their contributions. The platform will also be a place where digital meetings can take place in streaming mode, facilitating means for sharing knowledge during Covid-19 restrictions.

In Italian, the title VERSO means both ‘towards’ and ‘verse’. It indicates a movement towards the future, recalls a performative, and has a poetic and therefore linguistic dimension.

The project will build upon Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo’s long-standing expertise in the field of education and, in particular, the training of young audiences, and is the response to a sustained belief that the artistic institution is a place for knowledge production and direct participation.

verso.fsrr.org

In 2006 the Circolo StellaRe was created especially to assign the Premio StellaRe: a group of women whom Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo brought together to work on an ambitious project devoted to women, their identity and their value in this new millennium. Each new winner of the brilliant ring of Premio StellaRe is automatically added to the Stellare Club (Circolo Stellare). 

Since 2006, the StellaRe Prize was awarded to Franca Sozzani (Director of Vogue Italia), H.E. Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi (Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates), Lisa Phillips (Director of the New Museum, New York) and Kazuyo Sejima (Kazuyo Sejima and Associates/ Director of the 2010 Venice Biennale of Architecture), Dr Elizabeth Blackburn (2009 Nobel Prize Winner in Physiology or Medicine), Dr. Fabiola Gianotti (celebrated physicist at CERN, spokesperson of the ATLAS experiment), Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Al Thani (chairperson of the Qatar Museums), Allegra Agnelli (President Fondazione Piemontese per la Ricerca sul Cancro ONLUS), Lidia Bastianich (chef and ambassador of Italian cuisine in the world) and Cherie Blair (founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women). 

 Members of Circolo StellaRe include: Allegra Agnelli (winner 2016), Lidia Bastianich (winner in 2017), Elizabeth Blackburn (winner in 2011), Cherie Blair (winner in 2018), Franca Coin, Anne-Marie de Weck, Umberta Gnutti Beretta, Fabiola Gianotti (winner in 2013), Paola Manfrin, Alessandra Pasqualini Burke, Giulia Puri, Warly Tomei, Francesca Tronchetti Provera, H.E. Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi (winner in 2007), Lisa Philips e Kazuyo Sejima ( winner in 2009). StellaRe is the name of the prize that the contemporary art foundation Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo set up in 2006, to honour women all over the world who strive to make a difference to contemporary society through their innovative work, dedication and ideas, paying particular attention to the complex cultural, political and economic strategies that shape contemporary society. The StellaRe Prize is an exclusively designed ring, made by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan that unites the winners of the Prize to the StellaRe Circle.

Celebrated British footwear designer Nicholas Kirkwood and Canadian contemporary artist Paul Kneale have collaborated on the design of three limited edition women’s shoes, which will launch this autumn.
The project is part of a new initiative launched by Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo called ArtColLab, through which young artists will partner with leaders from the fields of fashion, design and gastronomy to create one-of-a-kind pieces. Profits from each sale will go towards creating more opportunities for young artists to present their work at Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo and to continue to make contemporary art accessible to the public – a cornerstone of the foundation’s work.
The shoes are a take on Nicholas Kirkwood’s signature silhouette, the BEYA, with a pointed toe, geometric metallic detailed heel, and two slanted stitches on either side of the vamp. Sustainability is at the heart of the design, with every element of the shoe made from biodegradable, recycled or eco-friendly materials. Handmade in a small family-run factory in Italy, the shoes are a reimagined classic and marry high craft and tradition with contemporary design.

Each shoe is made of a biodegradable canvas printed with Paul Kneale’s art. The fabric is made of cotton that has been backed using a biodegradable water-based glue and is metal and chemical free. The lining of the shoe is made from biodegradable kid, and the outsole from recycled leather.
Paul Kneale is a Canadian contemporary artist whose work explores the way in which digital facets of our existence can be manifested and reimagined in the flesh of the physical object.
Nicholas Kirkwood is a British footwear designer, who launched his eponymous collection in 2005. His fresh modern approach combines strong sculptural silhouettes with bold colour and striking textures, all expertly hand-crafted.

ArtColLab is a new platform for creative collaboration conceived to provide more opportunities to young artists.