The Only True Protest Is Beauty

We are happy to announce the participation of Lilla Tabasso and Václav Cigler in the Presentation of Fondazione Dries Van Noten: The Only True Protest is Beauty.

The Presentation stands as a journey into beauty understood not as resolution but as tension, an intensity that unsettles the familiar and opens space for the unexpected. With a title inspired by the words of singer and activist Phil Ochs, the Presentation invites us to consider beauty not as simple prettiness but as a form of inquiry and a catalyst for reflection, provocation, and transformation.

Set within Palazzo Pisani Moretta, more than two hundred works spanning fashion, jewellery, design, art, photography, glass, ceramics, and material experimentation enter into dialogue with frescoes, ceilings, and the building’s layered histories.

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 – 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.

Curated by Dries Van Noten, the presentation unfolds as a constellation of affinities and contrasts, where mastery meets discovery and craftsmanship becomes a language of emotion.