Chiara Camoni

With text by Monica Loffredo

As part of the exhibition "Etruscan Treasures. The Castellani collection between history and fashion (25 October 2023 - 3 March 2024), which brings to Milano the most important archaeological finds and extraordinary jewels from the Castellani collection, the Luigi Rovati Foundation also hosts an selection of jewels by the artist Chiara Camoni. In the wake of the Foundation's exhibition project to bring together ancient and contemporary, the Blue Room of the Museum thus becomes the setting for an unprecedented comparison between Etruscan goldsmithery, the nineteenth-century production of the Castellani workshop and contemporary jewels by Camoni. From this dialogue a reflection takes shape on the very idea of ​​jewellery, evoked by the different nature of the works: from the ornamental one, symbol of a high status among the Etruscans, passing through the historical-antiquarian research of the Castellani, to finally reach to Camoni's conceptual and metamorphic practice. Characterized by a reflection on the passage of time, on nature and its metamorphoses, on human rites and relationships, his works are made up of organic elements such as stones, shells and seeds, but also porcelain or stoneware, whose glaze is made by mixing river sand, earth and vegetable ash. The relationship with the search for ancient, almost primitive forms, is an essential aspect of Camoni's work, who even goes so far as to melt some jewels and then reassemble them, generating a different form of beauty: a creative act which is also a reflection on what the term "tradition".

Bilingual edition Ita/Eng