Contemporary art from KALPA breathes into the timeless luxury resort setting of Amanzoe in Porto Heli, Greece, this season. From June to October 2024, in collaboration with Amanzoe, the KALPA-curated exhibition HANSHA presents a selection of sculptures in Venetian glass by Michela Cattai (Treviso, 1965) and of bronze paintings by Pierre Bonnefille (Saint-Quentin, 1958). Designed as an art experience embracing three exceptional settings – the Restaurant and Library in the main resort, and the Rotunda pavilion at the Beach Club - at Amanzoe. 

The exhibition title comes from the Japanese term hansha meaning reflection. It encompasses a broad semantic area, from the physical phenomenon of the ephemeral reflection of light to a state of inner contemplation and meditation.

The underlying conceptual narrative is strictly connected to the techniques used by both the artists as well as the translucent texture of their artworks. Absorbing and reflecting the warm sunlight that embraces Amanzoe, a peaceful hilltop sanctuary on the Peloponnese Peninsula, the exhibited sculptures and paintings mirror echoes and visions of the natural surroundings and architectural landscape. Across three exhibition spaces at Amanzoe, gold, umber and ochre are the prevalent colours, conventionally associated with divine and spiritual enlightenment. 

Presenting eleven refined glass sculptures, HANSHA provides a comprehensive overview of Cattai’s Botanica Vitrea collection. The natural biodiversity of the Venetian lagoon, comprising a multitude of animal and vegetal species that create a harmonious melody of sounds, colours, and motions, represents both the essence and main source of inspiration for this delicate corpus of work. Each series within the collection, namely Corolla, Bocciolo, Botanica Adriatica and Libellula, is a unique testament to the intricate and unpredictable rhythms of Nature, its organic contours and vibrant textures, capturing nature's dynamic variations and moods. Crafted with meticulous attention in the Murano glass furnaces, each piece is unrepeatable and embodies the empathetic dialogue between the artist’s vision and the master glassmaker’s hand.

With HANSHA, the contemporary acropolis of Amanzoe finds its pantheon of artworks that recall the heritage of the Adriatic and the Aegean seas, with the Mediterranean as their common root, encouraging viewers to immerse themselves in a stream of connections and suggestions, from the mystical atmospheres of the land to waterscapes and marine biodiversity.