TRIPUDIUM TO THE NATURAL HERITAGE OF VENICE: MICHELA CATTAI'S BOTANICA VITREA COLLECTION 

The underwater symphony of the Venetian lagoon with its natural biodiversity of a multitude of flora and fauna within a harmonious melody of sounds, forms and motions, is both the nucleus and the main source of inspiration for the Botanica Vitrea collection by artist and designer Michela Cattai (Treviso 1965). This corpus of work derives from a synthesis of marine imagery, floral symbolism and forms, shimmering in glass reflections.

Crafted with meticulous attention in the unique Venetian glass furnaces, each piece is unrepeatable and embodies an empathic and silent dialogue between the artist’s vision and the craftsman's hand reflecting the perfect fusion of the savoir-faire of the traditional hand blown glass technique from the island of Murano and contemporary research. Through the creation of minimal forms, Cattai showcases her ability to evoke emotion in her handcrafted sculptures, where colour thrives in its intense shades.

“There is a magical moment when we can give shape to our thoughts, repeat the history of millennia with a gesture and direct the act to create a form of luminous plasticity.”

The artist creates a dreamy herbarium in which the organic elements arise within the glass medium, bringing new bioforms to life. Botanica Vitrea encompasses feelings of plasticity and strength, uniting the fragility of glass with the force of nature. The traditional forms of vases, bowls and cups, cast in regal colour, evoke and express an element of the continuity between past and present. With the sculptures of Botanica Vitrea collection, the vessel concurrently embraces practical, aesthetic and contemplative functions.

Each series within the Botanica Vitrea collection, namely Corolla, Bocciolo, Botanica Adriatica and Libellula, is a unique testament to the intricate and unpredictable rhythms of Nature, its organic contours and vibrant textures, capturing nature's dynamic variations and moods. The sculptures draw directly from the peculiar rocky seabeds of the upper Adriatic with its specific flora like the salicornia and the salsola. Every piece is a burst of vibrant tints, inviting the senses to journey towards a sublime simplicity suggesting a sentiment of growth and patience. 

“Cattai’s driving force lies in the emotional sediments rooted in her memories of the water and the laguna environment, which lead to a contemporary reinterpretation of centuries-old techniques’ visual and tactile effects.”

After graduating in Painting from the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice and in Design, Michela Cattai (Treviso, 1965) deepened her study in glass blowing, learning from the old Renaissance techniques and the glass history of the 20th century. She then developed her technique by experimenting with colour and shape, making abstract, textural sculptures with diverse surfaces and colour-shadings. Her works have been exhibited in major international exhibitions and fairs since 2017. From 2019 she began creating limited editions for the Venini company in Venice, having been appointed Art Director. Since 2023 she has devoted herself entirely to her work as an independent artist.

Michela Cattai's Botanica Vitrea collection in the beautiful iconic resort setting of Amanzoe in Greece

A group of astonishing sculptures from the Botanica Vitrea collection has been created specifically to be exhibited in the HANSHA exhibition at Amanzoe in the heart of the magnificent and savage Peloponnese peninsula. The contemporary Hellenistic architecture of the site embodies the sacred dimension of Greek mythology in an eternal space.  With HANSHA, this contemporary acropolis finds its pantheon of artworks that recall the heritage of the Adriatic and the Aegean seas, with the Mediterranean as their common root. Viewers are invited to immerse themselves in a stream of connections and suggestions, from the mystical atmospheres of the land to the marine world, and enter a state of meditation and fluidity, facilitating a sense of renewal and regeneration.

Read more about the exhibition here. 

"The colour becomes dense, holding the light and revealing an extraordinary depth, only to dissolve into a hint of it: a delicate, evanescent brushstroke that implies more.”

Photography of the artworks: photo by Enrico Fiorese, courtesy of The Artist

Photography of the exhibition in Amanzoe: Daniel Civetta for KALPA

KALPA INSTAGRAM