Dialogues on Beauty

On the occasion of the Economy of Beauty project, a study aimed at enhancing Italian beauty and measuring its economic value, Banca Ifis organised a series of events entitled “Dialogues on Beauty”.

The guests at the first meeting, “Beauty as cultural capital”, held at the ADI Design Museum, were Antonio Calabrò, President of Museimpresa, and Francesco Zurlo, President of POLI.design. The interviewees were asked what ‘beauty’ means to them, and Zurlo stated that “beauty is a dimension of meaning: there can be meaning in a product that meets functional requirements or there can be beauty in a product that grabs your guts”.

The Economy of Beauty is also the central theme of the Venice Pavilion at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition, scheduled to run until November 21st, 2021. This concept stems from the union of two apparently antithetical worlds, art and finance, and is defined as the “enhancement of our cultural, architectural, food and wine heritage, traditions and identity” (cf. Emilio Casalini, 2020).

For the occasion, Banca Ifis, Gold Partner of the Pavilion, has created a dedicated Market Watch, carrying out an in-depth study on the economic impact of beauty on our country. In order to carry out this study, it has decided to discuss with some project partners, including POLI.design, who work daily in the service of beauty.

Based on the data and research, an evocative installation entitled “Economy of Beauty” has been created, curated by Giovanna Zabotti and created by the artists Marina and Susanna Sent, consisting of a Murano glass surface representing the actors and places of the economy of beauty, and LED beams that make the relationships between actors and places visible. In addition, a video is projected on the wall showing the main data and keywords of the research.

Find out more about the Market Watch dedicated to Italian Beauty.