Fondazione Dries Van Noten launches its first editorial project, The Only True Protest Is Beauty, a new volume published by Marsilio Arte that expands on the foundation’s inaugural presentation in Venice.

Bringing together art, fashion, craft and design, the book reflects the Fondazione’s interest in the increasingly fluid boundaries between creative disciplines. Designed by Sebastiano Girardi Studio, which also created the visual identity of the Fondazione, the publication combines newly commissioned essays, extensive photography and close explorations of the artists, works and processes behind the presentation.

Three essays by Glenn Adamson, Alexander Fury and Ezra Babski explore craftsmanship, fashion, identity, memory and the evolving relationship between art, craft and design. Their perspectives are echoed in a diverse group of contributors, including Christian Lacroix, Comme des Garçons, Ettore Sottsass, Joris Laarman, Joyce J. Scott, Max Lamb, Misha Kahn, Takuro Kuwata, Tony Cragg and Wendy Andreu.

At the heart of the book is Palazzo Pisani Moretta, where the Fondazione’s inaugural presentation took place. Its historic interiors become part of the narrative, creating a dialogue between Venice’s rich culture of craftsmanship and contemporary creative practice. The publication also preserves the Palazzo at a pivotal moment, before restoration works mark the next chapter of the Fondazione.

More than an exhibition catalogue, The Only True Protest Is Beauty is a statement of intent: a celebration of making, collaboration and the idea that beauty itself can be a form of resistance.

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