Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/518559
194 CULTURED G lasgow-based multimedia artist Corin Sworn has just spent six months pinballing around Italy for her latest major commission. After stints in Naples, Venice, Reggio Emilia and Rome, she has developed a mesmerizing multilayered musing on the influence and impact of commedia dell'arte—a protean force which emerged in Italy in the 16th and 17th centuries, but influenced artists from Shakespeare to Picasso. Add to that list, Sworn, who created a sculpture-cum-performance piece that acts as a tribute to the Italian theatre tradition. The piece—which debuted on May 20 at London's Whitechapel Gallery and remains on view through July 19—and, indeed the entire project, was funded by fashion label Max Mara, which has run a biannual art prize for British-based female artists since 2005. "One of the things Luigi Maramotti, the chairman, wanted to do was to revive the idea of the grand tour, of artists finding inspiration from Italy," says Whitechapel Director Iwona Blazwick. Her gallery was a natural partner for the project from the outset, with its tradition of supporting female artists, which has included major shows for Barbara Hepworth, Frida Kahlo and Cindy Sherman. Blazwick notes that the residency-focused prize is unusual in the art world since it involves a two-stage process: first, a four-strong panel proposes a longlist of 20 or so emerging and mid-career names for consideration during a judging session, which she chairs. A shortlist of three to five working female artists is then created and the women are invited to produce a paid proposal as to how she would use a six-month residency in Italy. "A lot of residencies have no imperative to produce something, but ours is a commission to create a work of art inspired by their experience," Blazwick says. It isn't just clothing that connects Max Mara as a natural supporter of the program (though Sworn did leverage the knowledge of master tailors at the firm's atelier with some of the costume-based pieces). The fashion label's founder, Achille Maramotti, was a passionate contemporary collector and deeded his holdings, Collezione Maramotti, to be showcased at a foundation space at Max Mara's former headquarters in Reggio Emilia. Marina Dacci is its current director. "He thought contemporary art could be like a new pair of glasses, a fresh way of looking toward the future," she says, citing strong holdings of work in the Transavanguardia movement, as well as Basquiat, Schnabel and Ellen Gallagher. Indeed, Max Mara isn't unusual as a fashion firm supplying funding and support to the visual arts. Since 1996, the biennial Hugo Boss Prize has awarded $100,000 and a show at the Guggenheim to contemporary talents like Tacita Dean and Douglas Gordon. Prada also directs significant funds to visual art, whether as a sponsor at the Venice Biennale or for its own Milan and Venice exhibition spaces under the Fondazione Prada banner. Calvin Klein has underwritten Rob Pruitt's awards ceremony at the Guggenheim, and Louis Vuitton even dedicates square footage to gallery space, like the site-specific Akhob installation by James Turrell above its Las Vegas store. Of course, there have long been synergies between the industries—Cristobal Balenciaga's work with Salvador Dali, for instance—but Blazwick believes the overlap has accelerated in the last decade or so. Events like Art Basel Miami Beach have become pitstops on the luxury lifestyle circuit, connecting those who collect couture and canvases. Sculptors, painters and fashion designers, she adds, look at the human figure, examining its form and making statements about their era. "And it's never been truer than now that a lot of designers are starting out at art school—think Alexander McQueen. It's really striking how inspired he was by someone like Damien Hirst." Sworn hasn't yet been tapped to produce a capsule collection for Max Mara inspired by her artistic designs, but she does point to a more practical overlap. "I think they give each winner a coat," Blazwick says. "It's a beautiful outfit to wear at the opening."