The perpetrators of this commotion are Jola Słoma and Mirek Trymbulak, who design unconventional fashion and unconventional jewellery, cook unconventionally, and generally have unconventional ideas. So when they turned up at a business meeting – during which they were supposed to be discussing their next designs for the airport staff's corporate outfits – in the VIP lounge, they immediately spotted the perfect exhibition space. And as January marks the beginning of the Venice Carnival, their favourite city, where they are friends with mask makers Sergio and Massimo Boldrini, and whose designs have become an inspiration for their fashion and jewellery creations, the choice could only be masks.
The exhibition features a dozen or so masks from one of the world's most famous and renowned mask workshops, La Bottega dei Mascareri – the same one that created masks for Stanley Kubrick's film „Eyes Wide Shut”, the music video for the Scottish band „The Waterboys”, and for the California Shakespeare Festival, among others. Made in the spirit of centuries-old craftsmanship, they reference medieval traditions, as evidenced by characteristic figures such as court jesters, and 18th-century characters inspired by the commedia dell'arte. The collection is also distinguished by decorations inspired by the Rococo paintings of Giambattista Tiepolo and original gilded elements with motifs of the Moon and Sun. One of the masks by the Boldrin brothers can be seen in the Amber Museum in Gdańsk, where it is displayed in the permanent exhibition alongside carnival costumes designed by Jola Słoma and Mirek Trymbulak from a show. „The Amber Road’.
Venetian masks are a strong inspiration for the married couple designers Jola Słoma and Mirek Trymbulak, evident in their costume collection presented at a show in 2019. „The Amber Road’ in Gdańsk and Venice, as well as in their jewellery Soul Bijou. The brand was born out of a need to create jewellery according to one's own vision rather than the commercial needs of the market, and is the result of its creators' fascination with Baltic amber and Venetian masks and Murano glass. The unique necklaces combine the practical functions of jewellery with the three-dimensionality of sculpture and the painterly qualities of a picture.
The exhibition runs until Sunday 11 February 2024. Admission is for passengers using the VIP lounge only.
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