Barovier&Toso ARTE presents the first major exhibition dedicated to Murano glass by Fabrizio Plessi, an internationally renowned artist celebrated for his innovative integration of natural elements, water, light, and electronic media. Perdersi in un bicchier d’acqua (lit: To loose oneself in a glass of water) explores glass as a pure artistic medium, beyond its traditional functional use. The exhibition’s title captures the essence of Plessi’s philosophy: even the simplest forms – a glass, water itself – can contain infinite complexity when transformed through art.
The exhibition begins in the gallery’s bar area, where Plessi reinterprets the archetypal forms of glass – bottles and glasses – transforming them into autonomous sculptures solidified in water’s movement. Turbulence, a hallmark of the artist’s style, becomes both material and poetic expression. Drawings displayed alongside the glass works document the creative process and pay tribute to Barovier&Toso, the world’s oldest glassworks, founded in 1295.
The journey continues in the Sala dell’Acqua with a monumental ring-shaped installation in dialogue with four historic Barovier&Toso chandeliers. Immersed in images and sounds of water, the work evokes the encounter between Plessi’s liquid element and the fire of Murano furnaces, a metaphor for the fusion of technique, tradition, and contemporary artistic innovation. The exhibition concludes with the perfume bottle Movements of the Soul, reflecting the ring’s geometry and the turbulent shapes of the glass sculptures, combining craftsmanship with a multisensory artistic language.
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue featuring a critical essay by Bruno Corà, art historian and president of the Burri Foundation, and an interview with the artist curated by Barovier&Toso ARTE. Corà emphasizes how, although born in Reggio Emilia, Plessi is “the most Venetian of contemporary artists,” celebrating water, light, and matter – fundamental elements in Venice’s artistic history. With Perdersi in un bicchier d’acqua, Plessi reaffirms his profound connection to water, light, and, for the first time in a major way, glass, highlighting the ongoing dialogue between contemporary innovation and Venetian tradition.
