In 2023, to mark Serpenti’s 75th anniversary, Bulgari launched an international artistic initiative called Serpenti Factory, focusing on the snake as an endless source of creative inspiration. Their approach encompasses many aspects of the emblem, from heritage to craftsmanship, to multi-sensory technologies and the advertising campaign celebrating the 75th anniversary of the motif, linking past, present and future.
Bulgari has selected only five cities around the world for this special exhibition. After Shanghai and Seoul, it is now Milan’s turn, the star of the only European stage on this incredible journey.
It is a continuation of Bulgari’s personal tribute to the city of Milan, a point of reference on the Italian and international scene not only for fashion but also for culture. This includes a series of cultural initiatives and the launch of a High Jewelry collection for the first time.
From 11 October to 16 November, the exhibition “Serpenti 75 Years of Infinite Tales” will be on display at Dazio di Levante in Piazza Sempione: a narrative journey through jewellery, watches, videos and archive material celebrating the unstoppable evolution of the emblem through time, from the first Serpenti Secret Watches and the colourful creations of the 1960s to the Serpenti Viper collection and the extraordinary interpretations of High Jewelry.
For the occasion, various international and Italian artists were invited to give their interpretations of the Serpenti emblem, illustrating the eclectic nature of the icon. Within the Factory will be the works of Quayola, Sougwen Chung, Daniel Rozin, Cate M and, to be closer to Milan, works by artist Fabrizio “Bixio” Braghieri, who hails from the city.
In addition, Filippo Salerni, a young artist, will present his installation outdoors for the whole city to enjoy.
Quayola, born in 1982, is a Roman artist who lives in London and has established himself internationally as one of the most important interpreters of media art. He explores the tensions between form and material, ancient and modern, human and machine. The work, created in partnership with Bulgari, Sculpture Factory: Serpenti, is an installation that brings to life a series of unfinished sculptures, algorithmic variations inspired by the Serpenti emblem, through a live robotic performance. The robot forms unfinished figures using algorithms, continuously discovering new combinations of the material in a slow process of discovering infinite possibilities.
Sougwen Chung, a Chinese-Canadian artist and researcher based in London, is considered a pioneer in the field of human-machine collaboration. In the past, she was a researcher at the MIT Media Lab, exploring marks made by hand and by machines as an approach to understanding the dynamics of people and systems. For the Bulgari Serpenti Factory, Chung presents LIFE / LINES, a multimedia sculpture made of large-scale 3D-printed chrome that resembles liquid mercury. It is accompanied by a cinematic process film – a virtual performance showing the creative process. The work is inspired by the story of the Bulgari serpent as a symbol of rebirth and eternal return, and interprets the themes of tradition and transformation to present a new vision of Serpenti for the future.
Daniel Rozin is an Israeli-American artist who incorporates the human figure into his installations and interactive sculptures. His kinetic “mirrors” are often made of materials that become unexpectedly reflective and respond to the presence of a person with a camera and a physical computer or custom software. The work he created for Bulgari, Snake Scales Mirror, is a mechanical sculpture that is kinetic and interactive and is part of the Mechanical Mirror series. The materials, sound, movement and reflections of the individual tiles that make up the work evoke the natural characteristics of a snake as well as the Bulgari emblem.
Catherine Mercier, known as Cate M, is a self-taught artist who is fascinated by the animal world and sculpts it according to her own interpretation. For Bulgari, she has created the sculptures “The Small and Big Python Head” and “The Mandarin“, both depicting snakes. In these artworks, the artist combined the symbol of the snake together with Bulgari’s iconic Serpenti, first sculpting them in clay before finally making them in bronze. Through her artistic creations, Cate M explores the meaning of this animal – a symbol of metamorphosis – and its ability to continuously adapt to social evolution.
Fabrizio “Bixio” Braghieri is an artist from Milan whose art oscillates between painting, sculpture and installation art with unusual agility and irrational irony. For Bulgari, he has reinterpreted his iconic Cuore Fragile (Fragile Heart) through a serpenti lens and also created a series of watercolours in which snakes are coiled around some of Milan’s most emblematic and beloved symbols.
Filippo Salerni, a young Milanese sculptor, explores the transformative nature of matter in his works, imbued with the spirit of creation. His research combines classical academic training with experimental techniques. For the Bulgari Serpenti Factory, he has designed the site-specific installation _Res flecto_, an imposing sculpture in dialogue with the city of Milan.
The Serpenti Factory exhibition will also include multi-sensory and interactive experiences, including the exclusive Experience Room, an immersive area to discover the wonderful world of Serpenti; the original Bulgari Snake Game, an immersive Serpenti-themed game where you can take on a challenge to collect as many gems as possible and achieve the highest score; the Infinity Room, an immersive space to explore the world of Serpenti.
the Infinity Room, where the story of Serpenti comes to life through 3D images; and finally, the Cinenimo, to immerse yourself in the world of Bulgari and Serpenti through the projection of the documentary film “Inside The Dream”, which tells the story of the creation of a Serpenti High Jewelry piece from the very beginning – from the sourcing of the gems to its red carpet debut at the Venice Film Festival.