Fashion, Art and Spirituality Become One: Carlo Brandelli and Ewa Wilczynski's Works Travel To Italy

The ties between art, fashion and spirituality are becoming ever more pressing, both on and off the runway. Just take Pierpaolo Piccioli's focus on humanism at Valentino, with projects such as Nick Knight's film Of Grace and Light blurring the lines between the hierarchical world of couture and democratic digital art forms. Over the past two years, the creative director, designer and artist Carlo Brandelli has made a notable shift from his past conceiving innovative Savile Row tailoring to creating immersive art works in collaboration with the artist Ewa Wilczynski. Combining performance art, painting, sculpture, costume and sound, two of their impactful works travel to Italy this month.

1000 Breath Paintings & Sculpture is the most recent of the two works. First begun in March 2020, it explores the passing of time, of patience, of solitude - all things many of us became accustomed to in lockdown. A single brushstroke of clear resin containing real gold leaf has been built up over several months to create a sculptural form; Wilczynski painted a stroke each day in line with her breath. 1000 layers for 1000 breaths; the breath is isolated to focus on this fundamental life force, and the artists previously told SHOWstudio that the work was, in a way, about discovering new ways of being for humanity. Presented for the first time in public, the work will be available to visit for free at the Sant'Agostino Church in the Volumnia Gallery in Piacenza, Italy from Saturday 13 November until Thursday 30 December 2021, bringing these modern spiritual interactions to hallowed ground. The gallery is open Monday-Saturday from 3-6pm.

Seeking out human connection somewhere between art and fashion, Brandelli and Wilczynski's work Bound 1 In A Liminal Possibility will show in Turin on Saturday 6 November during the Artissima Contemporary Art Fair at the infamous Carlo Mollino apartment. Designed by the 20th century Italian polymath of the same name, the riverside apartment will provide an eclectic backdrop to the performance. Brandelli and Wilczynski have been granted a rare invite by curator Fulvio Ferrari to show in the space.

First presented in January 2020 at Blakes Hotel, London, Bound 1 In A Liminal Possibility asks visitors to sit in a room with the artists alone, before being ceremoniously presented with different artworks which will challenge the viewer to confront their own human energies. Although this particular work will be presented by appointment only on a one-by-one basis, which you can discover more about here, both performances will be filmed and will be available to view online at a later date.