AURA - Ewa Juszkiewicz

Haute couture engages with contemporary art and the stereotypes surrounding the representation of women. In Piazza Mignanelli, at the PM23 venue, the third exhibition organised by the Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation brings together historic creations from Maison Valentino (38 dresses selected from the archive) with works by the Polish artist Ewa Juszkiewicz, prompting a reflection on female identity, harmony and the concept of beauty.

The female figure plays a central role in Valentino Garavani’s creative universe: experiments with colour, materials, volumes and movement enhance her silhouette, with the aim of heightening each woman’s presence and allowing her own aura to shine through. In her paintings, Ewa Juszkiewicz reinterprets the European tradition of the female portraiture, engaging critically with the aesthetic codes conventionally used to depict women over the centuries. Her sitters evoke the masters of the past, yet fabrics, hair, flowers, leaves and other organic forms conceal or alter their faces: a process of metamorphosis that opens the image up to new possible interpretations.

Across both practices, familiar forms and historical motifs are transformed and reinterpreted, becoming part of new visual languages and establishing points of connection between fashion and painting. Created specifically for the exhibition in Rome, where it is on display for the first time, is the painting “Portrait in Valentino Red”, which takes as its point of departure a gown from Valentino’s Autumn/Winter 2007-08 Haute Couture collection, in his signature red, and carries its sculptural force into the pictorial space.