Casa Sanlorenzo

Sanlorenzo, a symbol of culture and craftsmanship in the world of yachting, has chosen the city as the stage for the opening of Casa Sanlorenzo, its new cultural hub under the banner of Sanlorenzo Arts. The first exhibition presented here is Breathtaking, an installation by internationally renowned Italian artist Fabrizio Ferri that reflects on the devastating impact of plastic and microplastic pollution in the oceans.

The project, was first presented earlier this year at the Museo di Storia Naturale in Milan and attracted over 40,000 visitors in four days. Now in Venice, the installation features a new portrait—musician and activist Sting—bringing the total number of works to 13. The portraits depict iconic figures, among them Willem Dafoe, Julianne Moore, Susan Sarandon, Naomi Watts, Isabella Rossellini, and Helena Christensen, all encased in plastic and suspended in breathless stillness.

Ferri explains the origin of the work: “My daughter Emma sent me two striking images: a dolphin and a seal suffocated by plastic bags. Along with them came a question: ‘What can you do?’ And so began the search for an answer, and the work itself.”

The artist deliberately avoided revealing the concept to his subjects in advance. “I did not explain to the talents involved what I wanted to achieve. I only asked them to work with me to express a new awareness I had gained about the pollution of seas and oceans caused by plastics and microplastics: we are not only killing the life within them, but also ourselves. I added nothing more, so that their emotions would remain untouched as they interpreted the last breath taken away by plastic.”

The installation immerses the viewer in an oval-shaped space. At its center stands a transparent glass coffin filled with seawater, surrounded by the 13 large-format portraits, mounted on black walls and transfixed by two hand-forged iron nails. Marina Abramović contributed to the project by recreating the soundless void of the ocean floor through the use of noise-cancelling headphones. “The silence of the seabed, and the chance to hear your own heartbeat and breath, make you part of a drama that spares no one,” Ferri says.

For the artist, Breathtaking carries a clear message: “This work is not an accusation; it is a call to shared responsibility. We are all complicit in what is happening. If we have reached this point, it is also our fault. It is not enough to point the finger at others: we must recognise our own role and responsibilities. And art, when it touches the heart, offers no escape.”

Casa Sanlorenzo itself is emblematic of this dialogue between beauty and responsibility. Housed in a restored 1940s villa redesigned by Artistic Director Piero Lissoni, it overlooks the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute and is accessible through the first pedestrian bridge built in Venice since 2008. “Venice has long been the artistic soul of Italy, a crossroads of cultures, ideas, and aesthetic experimentation,” notes Massimo Perotti, Executive Chairman of Sanlorenzo. “Its vibrant spirit makes it a key player in major events that foster an open dialogue based on creativity, culture and art. In this context, Casa Sanlorenzo fits perfectly. It stands not only as a valuable exhibition space but also as a symbol of the brand’s cultural commitment.”

Perotti underlines how the exhibition aligns with Sanlorenzo’s broader goals. “Even if the Breathtaking installation and the ‘Road to 2030’ strategy serve distinct purposes, they both reflect our unwavering commitment to global environmental causes,” he says. With projects such as hydrogen-powered  BGH tenders, developed for the America’s Cup and green methanol fuel cells implemented on the 50Steel superyacht, the company is already taking concrete steps toward sustainable innovation.

“Casa Sanlorenzo is a natural extension of our philosophy, where beauty and responsibility go hand in hand,” Perotti concludes. “With Breathtaking, we open our doors not only to art but to a deeper conversation about the future of our oceans. This is not just an installation. It is a statement of intent.”

Open from 2 September to 23 November, Breathtaking inaugurates Casa Sanlorenzo’s artistic program,  establishing it as a new venue where design, culture, and sustainability converge, and where visitors are invited to pause, reflect, and acknowledge their role in shaping the future of the seas.