on 7 May 2026
WAVES marks the first proprietary exhibition by Sanlorenzo Arts, a milestone in the yachting Maison’s cultural vision
Curated by Sergio Risaliti and Cristiano Seganfreddo and presented at Casa Sanlorenzo during the Venice Biennale, the exhibition features works by Calder, Fontana, Melotti, Cragg, Safa, Maloberti and Andreoni as well as scientific contributions by astrophysicist Ersilia Vaudo Scarpetta that expand the narrative from the ocean to the cosmos.
The Wave as a Metaphor
Exploring the wave as a universal principle of transformation, connecting art, science and the culture of the sea, WAVES represents the culmination of Sanlorenzo’s decade‑long commitment to the arts, a journey that has seen the company collaborate with leading institutions, creators and artists to explore the intersections between creativity, innovation and the culture of the sea.
Reflecting the Maison’s belief that craftsmanship, design and cultural vision are inseparable, with the future of luxury defined by cultivating meaning amongst communities, not merely manufacturing objects, this first collective and proprietary exhibition has been designed to position Sanlorenzo as a champion of Italian creativity and curator of contemporary culture.
“For Sanlorenzo, the sea is not just a scene,” says Massimo Perotti, Executive Chairman of Sanlorenzo. “It is a condition that constantly reminds us that balance is never static but always dynamic. Building a yacht means giving form to precision within an environment that, by its very nature, resists fixity. This relationship between control and unpredictability is mirrored in the artistic process, and WAVES encapsulates this vision. Transformation is not an exception but the very essence of innovation and reality.”
A New Chapter for Sanlorenzo Arts
Hosted at Casa Sanlorenzo during the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, WAVES brings together historical and contemporary artists in an immersive environment spanning the building’s interiors, garden and pedestrian bridge. Curated by Sergio Risaliti and Cristiano Seganfreddo, the latter a member of the Scientific Committee at Sanlorenzo Arts, the exhibition explores the wave as a universal principle, a force of energy, transformation and dynamic equilibrium.
The wave becomes a metaphor for Sanlorenzo’s own identity in yachting: a brand shaped by the sea, by movement, and by the positive tension between innovation and tradition.
The exhibition is headlined by works from Alexander Calder, Lucio Fontana and Fausto Melotti, whose radical approaches redefined the boundaries of sculpture in the 20th century. Their works introduce movement, spatial rupture and rhythmic modulation, revealing form as inherently unstable and alive.
“These artists share a radical intuition,” says Risaliti, director of the Museo del Novecento and co-curator of WAVES. “They understood that sculpture could no longer be conceived as a static object. Calder, Fontana, and Melotti introduced a dynamic condition in which form interacts continuously with space. Their works reveal matter as inherently unstable, shaped by forces and energies in constant transformation”.
This dialogue continues with Tony Cragg, whose sculptures appear in perpetual metamorphosis, and Christine Safa, whose paintings dissolve into atmospheric fields of colour and light.
Site-specific interventions extend the exhibition into the architecture of Casa Sanlorenzo: Marcello Maloberti’s ECHO transforms the pedestrian bridge into a space of resonance, while Friedrich Andreoni activates the garden through sound, sculpture and natural elements.
“The wave is not only a natural phenomenon but a way of thinking about reality,” says Cristiano Seganfreddo, co-curator of WAVES. “The exhibition presents a dynamic transformation, with different artistic languages converging to create a field of resonances. Here, visitors experience the world not as a set of fixed objects, but as a system of relationships, oscillations, and connections”.
Together with them the astrophysicist Ersilia Vaudo Scarpetta expands the exhibition’s horizon beyond the visible world with her textual “interferences”, which connect the oceanic to the cosmic, reinforcing the exhibition’s central theme: transformation as the essence of existence.
“Waves are not just a phenomenon of the sea,” says Scarpetta. “They are the fundamental language of the universe. Light, sound, and gravitational waves continuously propagate through space and time, shaping reality. What we perceive with our senses is only a tiny fragment of this vast spectrum of vibrations. Yet it is precisely in this small fragment that beauty, colour, and light emerge.”
The exhibition is enriched by an olfactory landscape created in collaboration with Xerjoff and conceived by Sergio Momo to amplify the sensory dimension of the visitor experience. For the occasion, the fragrance Uden Overdose was selected: its citrus, amber and ozonic notes evoke a marine world in constant motion between depth and surface.
A Cultural Milestone for Sanlorenzo
Set in Venice, a city suspended between fragility and resilience, WAVES reflects Sanlorenzo’s commitment to shaping a cultural dialogue that unites art, design, technology and sustainability. It marks a new chapter in the brand’s patronage of the arts, affirming its role as a leader in Italian craft, innovation and contemporary culture.
WAVES takes place from 6 May – 28 June 2026 at Casa Sanlorenzo and the public are warmly welcomed to explore the exhibition from Wednesday to Sunday, from 11am to 7pm.
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