Bottega Veneta Welcome The Colourful World of Gaetano Pesce For Salon Del Mobile 2023

The Humanist architect-cum-designer-cum-artist Gaetano Pesce is a towering figure in the art world, a true multi-disciplinarian who, despite a career spanning seven decades, still refuses to be cowed or quantified. Whether it be architecture, town planning, interior design, industrial design or even exhibition design, Pesce is a designer of life, understanding the language of space.

Following the commission given to Pesce earlier this year to create a temporary site-specific artwork for the Bottega Veneta's S/S 23 show, the collaborative pair are continuing their dialogue, merging the multiple worlds that speak Pesce's language with the luxury craftsmanship of Bottega.

This time, Pesce's work for the house is situated in the brand's Montenapoleone store. The designer's unique immersive installation Vieni a Vedere (Come and See), spans the entirety of the space. Using resin and fabric, the installation mimics an immersive sculpture for any visitor to travel through and frames an edition of handbags realised by the Italian house for the artist according to his designs.

'The space in which we present the bags is "a grotto", says Pesce. 'It is narrow and is walked through one by one; whether it is underground or above, you find a way through. What you are actually walking through is the outline of a figure shooting for a basket. He represents almost a victory – it is not clear whether it goes in. In this case, the victory is discovery, the discovery of the language of representation. It is about opening new ways for design.'

Embracing figuration and stories of the personal rather than the purely functional, both Pesce's idiosyncratic creations for the project My Dear Mountains and My Dear Prairies echo his early life in Italy growing up near the mountains in Este, and the prairies of America, a reflection of where he lives today. 'I wanted a bag with an optimistic view', conveyed the artist in a press release. 'There is a capacity to realise anything at Bottega Veneta, and this bag opens up a way to express future design. The design of the future has to be figurative, and it has to communicate – such an object has to tell a story.'

Responding to Pesce's sketches, Bottega's signature Intrecciato bag is utilised once more. Each bag is individually painted with an airbrush technique to resemble Pesce's watercolour rendering with respect to the mountains in Nappa leather. In addition, an elegant crochet technique is used for the prairies in seven shades of green calf and lamb leathers.

To celebrate the commission and the rich collaboration between the pair, each visitor to the installation will receive a free gift; a poster drawn by Pesce and hand-painted chocolates by Peyrano.

The installation will be open until 22 April; the artist's edition of hand-crafted handbags can also be purchased during this time.