‘a little theater of life’: JR weaves monumental tapestry of community care in venice
the artist teams up with master weaver giovanni bonotto to reinterpret a 16th century painting from a biblical miracle to a contemporary model of social repair.
prefer designboom on google[FEATURED]
jr and fondazione bonotto unveil monumental tapestry of care
During the 61st Venice Biennale, artist JR has unveiled ‘Il Gesto,’ a multidisciplinary project that activates both the exterior and interior of Palazzo Ca’ da Mosto (The Venice Venice Hotel). The intervention begins on the building’s facade, where a large-scale temporary installation of ultra-lightweight panels transforms the Veneto-Byzantine architecture into a public stage visible from the Grand Canal. While these external figures appear to lean out from the windows to engage with the city, the project finds its permanent and definitive form inside the palace: a monumental tapestry created in collaboration with master weaver Giovanni Bonotto. By reinterpreting Paolo Veronese’s 1563 painting ‘The Wedding at Cana,’ the work shifts the focus from a biblical miracle to a contemporary model of social repair and community care.
JR’s connection to the site is rooted in his recurring stays at the monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore, where the original Veronese painting hung for over two centuries before its removal to the Louvre. By returning this imagery to Venice as a contemporary ‘fresco’ in textile, the artist addresses a historical displacement while highlighting a modern initiative of mutual aid. ‘This is a very special project, because it’s the first time I do a tapestry, but also because of the incredible story that resides behind this piece‘. The composition is based on Refettorio Paris, a community kitchen launched eight years ago that recovers surplus ingredients – items discarded by supermarkets due to minor aesthetic defects – and transforms them into refined three-course meals served free of charge to refugees and homeless individuals.
community kitchen as inspiration for venice biennale project
In the tapestry, 176 real-world participants from the Refettorio take the place of the figures in Veronese’s original work. JR describes the resulting scene as a documentation of a specific social choreography: ‘This is almost like a little theater of life… all the volunteers that come every night, we ask them to play a role that night, which is very important, it’s actually at the key of those dinners‘.
The work flattens professional distinctions, placing world-renowned chefs like Alain Ducasse and Massimo Bottura in service roles alongside the people they cook for. JR notes that the dining experience, which includes music from performers like U2, creates a unique sense of equality: ‘I like that, I think it put everybody’s ego in place… the chefs, they actually want to impress them with a meal that they feel very special… they only see the love and respect that was put into the plate‘.
‘the wedding at cana’ reimagined as high-tech textile art piece
The tapestry, which will remain on view until November 24, measures 4.30 meters in height and 7.80 meters in width. Its production by Fondazione Bonotto involved 600 hours of research and weaving to translate JR’s complex photographic digital file into a woven medium. The materials chosen for the work emphasize an ecological sensitivity, using blue yarns for the sky and black shadow tones derived from recycled plastic sourced from domestic chemical and soap containers. These are integrated with virgin wool, organic cotton, and traditional Japanese Washi paper.
Giovanni Bonotto highlights the technical strain this posed: ‘No textile computer is programmed to handle a file so big… our computer can’t accept a file so big like this because we weave in mechanical looms, industrial mechanical looms, and the looms keep crashing, crashing, crashing’. For Bonotto, the final piece represents a victory for human intelligence: ‘The work also symbolizes the fight between man and machine… we want to demonstrate the human intelligence has the sensibility to find a way to win’.
digital platform amplifies marginalized voices in exhibition
Beyond the visual archive, the project includes a functional act of restitution designed to provide tangible support to the local community. Each portrait in the installation is linked to a recorded voice, creating a digital platform where the personal histories of the marginalized are preserved and accessible. During the exhibition, visitors are encouraged to make donations to Venezia Prossima, a Venetian charity that mirrors the meal service model of the Paris Refettorio. Additionally, following the Biennale, the lightweight panels used for the temporary installation on the palazzo’s facade will be donated rather than discarded.
As JR reflects on the project: ‘In this work, the banquet becomes a necessary space of encounter, where beauty ceases to be a privilege and becomes a shared human experience‘. By translating a social initiative into a permanent architectural element, JR and Bonotto move away from the spectacle of large-scale art toward a durable record of service and mutual care.
project info:
name: Il Gesto
subtitle: A contemporary reinterpretation of The Wedding at Cana
artist: JR | @jr
location: The Venice Venice Hotel, Venice
tapestry: Giovanni Bonotto
participants: Refettorio Paris Community
photographer: Alessandro Lana
shop
your own online design shop — no sales commission collected
