NOW ON VIEW: AGOSTINO IACURCI CASA ITALIA OLYMPIC GAMES, PARIS
On Saturday, July 27, Casa Italia Paris 2024 officially opened at Le Pré Catelan, the venue selected by CONI to host the Italian team’s athletes and guests during the XXXIII Olympic Games in Paris. For the first time in Casa Italia’s history, the public is invited to experience an immersive exhibition and scenographic journey. More than just a visual experience, Ensemble is a total work of art, architecture, and design, crafted to engage both the senses and emotions. The main building’s façade, a Napoleon IlI-style structure nestled in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris’s largest park, just steps away from the Champs-Elysées – features an extensive site-specific installation by Agostino lacurci.
This work, Ensemble, is designed to seamlessly connect the surrounding landscape of the Bois de Boulogne with the building’s architecture. Eight banners, showcasing botanicals typical of the Mediterranean region- such as cistus, poppies, olive trees, broom, and roses -adorn the façade. These elements are also reflected in the landscape designed by Natura e Architettura, creating a harmonious connection with the natural environment. Notably, on the evening of June 23, 1894, the very building hosted the dinner celebrating the birth of the modern Olympic Games, an event orchestrated by Baron Pierre de Coubertin. This historical significance adds an extra layer of meaning to Casa Italia Paris 2024.
Photo: Ela Bialkowska OKNO Studio