TRIESTE, Italy, PARIS, France – illycaffè is partnering with Fiac Paris, one of the leading contemporary art fairs in Europe, running from October 21st to 24th at the Grand Palais Éphémère at Champ-de-Mars, the temporary facility that will host all of Paris’s great events until 2024. illy is the global coffee brand recognized for its sustainable quality and for having created a special partnership with the world of contemporary art, through which it expresses its own ideal of beauty.
The beauty the company refers to reflects the ancient Greek concept of kalokagathìa, which states that beauty and goodness are one and the same.
The truest expression of the union between the beautiful and the good is represented by the illy Art Collection, the artistic project that turned an everyday object such as the plain white espresso cup in one of the most complete collections of artistic objects in the world, and one that is accessible to everybody.
At Fiac Paris, illycaffè will present the illy Art Collection and its accompanying cans, designed by Mona Hatoum, the internationally renowned visual artist famous for her political and poetic approach to her work, which she expresses through installations, sculpture, videos, photographs, and works on paper. For this collection, Mona Hatoum was inspired by the keffiah, the typical Arab scarf, with the knotted fishing net that is often likened to hands clasping one another, and which symbolizes the connection between people, while the olive leaf motif on the sides symbolizes peace.
The collection of cups and cans designed by Mona Hatoum will be on display at the illy Caffè space created especially for the fair, and decorated with the same motif as the collection. Here, visitors will be able to enjoy the unique illy blend comprising 9 types of high-quality, sustainable 100% Arabica coffee, served in the Lebanese artist’s creative cups.
“I am proud of this new and important partnership with Fiac Paris, a leading contemporary art fair – says Massimiliano Pogliani, CEO of illycaffè – where we chose to illustrate our relationship with creativity through the illy Art Collection project, because those who enjoy an illy espresso in a designer cup combine, in a single gesture, the aroma and flavour of our blend with the aesthetic, visual, and tactile experience of proximity with contemporary art”.
The illy Art Collection designed by Mona Hatoum will be available in a limited edition starting in December 2021 from the illy e-shop, the bookstores in leading contemporary art museums worldwide, and single-brand retail outlets (illy Caffè and illy Shop).
