CON AMORE, FRANCESCO VEZZOLI (FRANCESCO by FRANCESCO)
Exclusively for yoox.com together with FAI – Fondo Ambiente Italiano for the restoration of
Palazzo Comunale Finale Emilia – an historic landmark damaged in the recent earthquake
Art at yoox.com joins forces with Francesco Vezzoli In support of the areas affected by the recent earthquake in Italy’s Emilia region. One of the world’s most celebrated contemporary artists, Vezzoli has created a limited edition work to be sold exclusively on yoox.com.
All proceeds from the sale of these works will be donated to FAI – the non-profit Italian foundation dedicated to the restoration and conservation of historic buildings and places.
The work, CON AMORE, FRANCESCO VEZZOLI (FRANCESCO by FRANCESCO) is Vezzoli’s first foray into serially produced art work with an edition of 399 numbered and signed pieces on sale for £399, exclusively on yoox.com.
Created especially by the Artist for this initiative, all proceeds from the sale of the work go to FAI – Fondo Ambiente Italiano to contribute to the restoration of the Palazzo Comunale of Finale Emilia where the first earthquake had its epicenter – a concrete demonstration of support for the Emilia Romagna region where YOOX Group is based.
The choice of the palazzo was reached by FAI, together with the Regional Directorate for the Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Emilia Romagna due to the immense symbolic value of the building – representing the soul of the community and a focal point for aggregation.
Francesco Vezzoli is well known embellishing images of the stars of yesterday and today with obsessive hand-embroidered tears. For this edition, Vezzoli himself is the subject, in a portrait shot by photographer Francesco Scavullo. For the first time, the tears hand embroidered by the artist are replaced by a sewing machine – repeated on 399 works, each with a dedication – CON AMORE, FRANCESCO VEZZOLI (FRANCESCO by FRANCESCO), rendered in in fuchsia glitter.
This seductive image simultaneously evokes the languid glamour of autographed images of old-fashioned stars, as well as the ‘domestic’ nostalgia of embroidered postcards – objects cherished by grandmothers and aunts, framed and preserved like precious relics.
Francesco Vezzoli directly refers to this tradition as a source of inspiration:
“I don’t believe in elitism in my life or in my work – my works must be really exclusive or really accessible. I imagined a work with a large production run, an old fashioned, commonplace object like the embroidered postcards depicting dancers or other subjects “.
To underline the work’s formal aesthetics and conceptual balance between narcissism and irony, each numbered edition of CON AMORE, FRANCESCO VEZZOLI (FRANCESCO by FRANCESCO) is presented in a highly ornate baroque-style frame.
Federico Marchetti, founder and CEO of YOOX Group, on the origin of this initiative:
“I was born in Ravenna and Bologna is home to YOOX Group. After the tragedy of the earthquake I thought of a unique and unrepeatable way to help the people of those areas which are so important to me. I am a big fan of Francesco Vezzoli’s work, so I invited him to think of about a special project for Emilia, and he came up with CON AMORE, FRANCESCO VEZZOLI (FRANCESCO by FRANCESCO) sold exclusively on yoox.com. ”
In celebration of this collaboration, yoox.com invited its Facebook community to “interview” Francesco Vezzoli. This will be the first time the artist will be answering Fan-generated interview questions, crowd-sourced from Social Media, on a Social Media platform. In the weeks leading up to the project’s launch, Fans submitted original questions and voted on each other’s suggestion. The top 12 questions, as voted by the community, will be answered by the artist in a live interview on 12/12/2012 at 12:12pm. Art at yoox.com has also taken over the yoox.com Instagram Web Profile to reveal, tile-by-tile, the image of the special edition work. The complete image will come together simultaneously with the project’s launch on yoox.com on 12/12/2012.
This collaboration celebrates the recent launch of Art at yoox.com – a dedicated area online bringing together photography, prints, original works and products by emerging and established artists, giving them and their creations global visibility, with over 7 million unique visitors per month.
Notes to the Editor
Founded in 2000, yoox.com is the leading online global store dedicated to Fashion, Design and Art. Innovative, inspiring and playful, yoox.com enables customers to express their own style by offering the very best from the world’s leading brands, designers and artists in over 100 countries, and with incomparable service. yoox.com is “Powered by YOOX Group”, which has offices and operations in Europe, the United States, Japan, China and Hong Kong, ensuring an exceptional level of customer service: delivery is rapid and reliable, returns are fast and easy and customer care is best-in-class.
