A WORLD premiere and the return of two choreographic works with an unusual source of inspiration. Patrick de Bana signs his first creation for the La Scala’s Ballet Company and its étoiles, navigating the parallels of mythology, culture, perfumes and icons of a Spain filtered through his personal experience.

For this, he will revive the essence of Carmen, passionate heroine, clothed in freedom. On the touching mystery of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary, a duet one of Angelin Preljocaj’s most emblematic female works focuses on the relationship between spirit and body, inner and outer space, on the upheaval of the Angel’s apparition in the intimate universe of Mary.

_{Richard Bolle rehearsing with Patrick de Bana for Carmen}

_{Richard Bolle rehearsing with Patrick de Bana for Carmen}

From the story of the Amduat and the descent into the underworld of the sun god who, purified, rises to the surface to give life to a new day Philippe Kratz takes his cue for Solitude Sometimes. With the artists he immersed himself in Egyptian mythology for a work abstract in its essence but populated with symbolic figures, catharsis, rebirth, the cycle of life and the resilience of the individual amidst the electronic sounds of Thom Yorke and Radiohead’s electronic sounds.

by Chidozie Obasi

The post La Scala gears up for new triptych by Philippe Kratz, Angelin Preljocaj and Patrick de Bana  first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

Yet, at the heart, the audience has a knowledge of the performer behind the role, the personality that informs the pretence. For the Prada Spring-Summer 2025 men’s campaign, the actor Harris Dickinson eschews role-play and appears as himself – the truth of an actor, playing themselves.

_{Prada SS25}

Photographed by Steven Meisel, different elements of Dickinson’s character inform the reinvention of his image, from dynamic to contemplative, energetic to nonchalant. Equally, the clothes he wears transform – archetypical and classic menswear pieces shift with his presence, apparently altered by his action and authority, affected by his own individuality. 

Rather than shifting between personages or personae – embodying characters, conveying a script – here we observe different perspectives on one man, the nuances of his character, and his own truth. He is the protagonist in his own story.

by Chidozie Obasi

The post Harris Dickinson fronts Prada’s new SS25 menswear campaign  first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

_{Ugo Mulas | Autoritratto con Nini A Melina e Valentina – 1972}

The Municipality of Milan promoted the exhibition, which was produced by Palazzo Reale and Marsilio Arte in collaboration with the Ugo Mulas Archive, with the support of Deloitte and the patronage of the Deloitte Foundation. Denis Curti, Director of Le Stanze della Fotografia in Venice, and Alberto Salvadori, Director of the Ugo Mulas Archive, curated it.

300 images – many of which were never displayed before now – vintage photos, documents, books and films, look back over Ugo Mulas’ entire compendium: from theatre to fashion, from portraits of international artists, protagonists of American Pop Art, to those of intellectuals, architects and personalities from the world of culture and entertainment – including Dino Buzzati, Giorgio de Chirico, Marcel Duchamp, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Arthur Miller, Eugenio Montale, Louise Nevelson, Salvatore Quasimodo, Giorgio Strehler and Andy Warhol – from the various locations and cities to nudes and jewellery.

_{Ugo Mulas | Fausto Melotti Sette savi – 1970}

_{Ugo Mulas | Scenografia per Woyzeck – 1969}

The subtitle of the exhibition, “The Process of Photography” draws its inspiration from one of the most important series created by Mulas, the Verifiche (1968-1972), with which the retrospective opens: fourteen works that came about as a result of the artist’s rigorous conceptual reflection on the history of photography and its constituent elements.

For the first time, in the rooms of Palazzo Reale, also on display together with the Verifiche are the studies that preceded them, forming genuine evidence that still today provides us with the keys to interpret and enter the aesthetic and conceptual universe of Ugo Mulas. A sort of mapping of photography that has a homage to Niépce, Verifica 1, to whom the exhibition will devote particular attention, as its point of departure.

_{Ugo Mulas | Tessuti Taroni – 1970}

Also on display for the first time are many portraits of the most important protagonists of the design, architecture and art of the second half of the 20th century who are associated with the city of Milan, including Gae Aulenti, Giulio Castelli, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Vittorio Gregotti, Bruno Munari, Gio Ponti and Ettore Sottsass, along with several images of sculptor Fausto Melotti, a dear friend of Ugo Mulas, to whom an entire section is devoted.

Along the exhibition route, structured into 14 themed chapters (Verifiche, Duchamp, Fontana, Calder, Melotti, Theatre, Milan, Places, Portraits, Fashion, Nudes and Jewellery, New York/Pop, Interior/Exterior, Vitality of the Negative), the profile emerges of a total photographer, who tackled many different subjects over the course of his brief, intense experience, with the awareness that photography is not mere documentation, but testimony and critical interpretation of reality.

_{Ugo Mulas | Edie Sedgwick e Andy Warhol New York – 1964}

“With this retrospective, Milan pays homage not only to a great photographer, but also to a man who knew how to capture and convey the soul of this continually evolving city,” says Tommaso Sacchi, Councillor Responsible for Culture.

“Ugo Mulas, in fact, will permanently join the exhibition in the new itinerary of the Museum of the 20th Century, which we will inaugurate in the next few days, precisely on account of his interpretation of the artistic life of the city in what were fundamental years for Milan: those of the Bar Jamaica, of Piero Manzoni and Luciano Bianciardi, of Lucio Fontana and the Funerals of Nouveau Realisme.

But not only that: other museums in the city will also host a selection of photographs by Mulas, offering an itinerary that will include the key locations of his life and works, thus continuing the itinerary outside of the rooms of Palazzo Reale.” 

_{Ugo Mulas | Bar Jamaica Milano – 1953-1954}

The visual documentation by Ugo Mulas represents a precious contribution to the understanding of the cultural and artistic history of that period, telling of the economic and social fervour of Milan in the second half of the 20th century.

Evidenced in his first photos from 1953 of the district of Brera and the famous Bar Jamaica, a meeting place for extraordinary personalities such as Piero Manzoni or Luciano Bianciardi, and the photos of the suburbs, the Central Station, dormitories and everyday moments. 

_{Ugo Mulas | Sala di Michelangelo Pistoletto Vitalità del negativo nell’arte italiana – 1970}

The exhibition is part of a project to present the work of the great photographer to the public, the first stage of which took place in Venice, at Le Stanze della Fotografia, in 2023. The programme continues in October 2024 in Milan, where the exhibition is presented with an itinerary and an approach that are entirely unprecedented and specially designed for the city, thanks to the in-depth research work into the author’s production that has enabled photos never exhibited before to be unearthed.

by Chidozie Obasi

The post Between timelessness and conservatism, Milan’s Palazzo Reale welcomes Ugo Mulas retrospective first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

But one duo who are putting their own spin on it are electronic-urban provocateurs Bro Berri – composed of Stefano and Enrico Berretti – with a repertoire that’s soulfully potent and lyrically relevant in equal measure. Sloppy synths merged with reverberating and punchy basslines pushing the tempo are at the core of their pieces, raising hairs everywhere. But there’s more to the story. 

_{Photograph: Cosimo Buccolieri}

Stefano and Enrico—born respectively in 1994 and 1997—know a thing or two about navigating the complexities of a narrow system hailing from Gaeta, living the first part of their lives in Sardinia and then moving on to Civitavecchia, close to the harbour. Enrico (the youngest) began his foray into the scene aged 16, while Stefano was practising rowing, which to him felt like “Cambridge, Oxford stuff.” Enrico was practising athletics back in the day, making music in his free time. 

After the first year which saw both of them working modest jobs, Stefano graduated and began working in Rome as a model, moving to Milan and later to Shanghai. “I was listening to a lot of music while exploring the nightlife abroad,” says Stefano, explaining how from that, “I started to chat a lot more about building a music project with my brother”.  

_{Photograph: Cosimo Buccolieri}

The influence from overseas enlightened Stefano with a sense of cross-pollination and further experimentation. “Merging influences I had in China while using a distinct sound was the beginning of what Bro Berri is today,” he concurs. “Bro Berri is a collaboration, an exchange of ideas, and it’s about making music with different influences from all over.”

Once the first period in Shanghai went well, Stefano returned to Milan and embarked on a trip to New York while actively communicating with the brother. “After many travels, it was supernatural to establish something together,” opines Stefano. “We began studying legendary duos such as Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, or DVBBS in Los Angeles: we were attracted by the duo as so many of them were brothers, but a few are actually blood-related.”

When speaking on influences, both claim, “that most of the time is about our soul, so everything we write, we aim to someone who lived the same situation we had – motivating them through our music.” 

While growing up, the duo changed houses multiple times because of their father’s job, as he’s in the military. “What we write about is that if you really believe in something, that can happen,” they say. This is why, for them, the most important thing is believing in oneself, “because we come from a really humble background.” 

_{Photograph: Cosimo Buccolieri}

_{Photograph: Cosimo Buccolieri}

The first live show they did was in Bangkok, for just over 50 bucks. “Everything I earned from modelling was poured into music,” notes Stefano, “because we wanted to finance a dream we hoped would be big one day.”

Given the huge complexities of the system, I cannot help but wonder what made them stick around and have the gumption to push through all the obstacles. “It’s the final picture we have,” freely admits Stefano. “We have a final picture in our mind that’s there from day zero, and I see it as a painting we have in the making. Firstly, you have to get the pencils and colours to then witness the final outcome.”

_{Photograph: Cosimo Buccolieri}

_{Photograph: Cosimo Buccolieri}

Their relentless spirit is reflected in one of their latest tracks, Siamo Nel Back (We’re at the back), which epitomises a sheer portrayal of the duo’s life and the pitfalls part of a system they’ve fought so hard to dive into. “Maybe it’s the first raw storytelling about us: a raw biography about the project, where someone can understand where we come from and where we’re going, through harmonies and lyrics,” says Enrico, detailing how one can, “understand the struggle and the happy moments, as we talked about how it was in the start and what we think today.”

“We had a lot of dreams, passions and delusional moments,” continues Stefano. “However, we’re still in this together trying to make it and struggling in the process. It’s a song that could be motivational for a lot of people, no matter what field.”

_{Photograph: Cosimo Buccolieri}

What is, then, their vision for the future? “Essentially, after productions and our discography project, there’s a collective called BB SQVAD, which is our movement,” they note. “The project comprises our friends, artists, inspiring personalities and all those who believe in the power of music. So what we see through this is a new format which will hopefully take us to different places in Italy and worldwide.”

With their hands firmly back on the steering wheel and with big hopes, the duo is keen to explore their next act. “The different thing about Bro Berri’s music practice is that we have to make people understand our vision, which mixes Hip-hop and electronic,” they note, as we draw our conversation to a close. “If we make this work, it’ll be a huge feat for us, and an expressive vehicle of all we’ve lived through these years”.

by Chidozie Obasi

Photographer: Cosimo Buccolieri (@cosimobuccolieri) via (@studiorepossi)

Stylist: Chidozie Obasi (@chido.obasi)

Hair: Alexander Markart (@alexander_franzjoseph) via (@blendmanagement)

Make up: Kim Gutierrez (@elijagutierrez) via (@studiorepossi)

Set Design: Irene Coveri (@pennyennyemmy)

Head of Production: Jessica Lovato (@jessicalovato_)

Fashion Coordinator: Davide Belotti (@coccobeloooo)

Photography assistant: Antonio Crotti

Fashion Assistants: Isabella Petrocchi (@isabellapetrocchi) + Morgana Galluccio (@morganagalluccio)

_{Clothing Credits:}

_{Look 1: Stefano; All clothing MARNI | Socks PAUL SMITH – Enrico; All clothing ISABEL MARANT | Earrings ARTIST’s OWN}

_{Look 2: Stefano; Jumper, shirt PAUL SMITH | Trousers ACT N1 | Earrings ARTIST’S OWN | Shoes TOD’S – Enrico; Jumper, Trousers DIESEL | Shirt, Loafers PAUL SMITH}

_{Look 3: Top CANAKU | Trousers THE FRANKIE SHOP | Jewellery ARTIST’S OWN}

_{Look 4: All clothing ACT N1}

_{Look 5: All clothing VERSACE}

_{Look 6: All clothing QL2}

_{Look 7: Enrico; Coat THE FRANKIE SHOP | Shirt, trousers PAUL SMITH | Jewellery ARTIST’S OWN | Shoes TOD’S – Stefano; Coat THE FRANKIE SHOP | Shirt LABO.ART | Trousers FERRARI | Jewellery ARTIST’S OWN | Shoes PAUL SMITH}

The post Stefano and Enrico Berretti talk to Glass about brotherhood, lyricism and soulful optimism first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

Nouchi is part of the fifth intake of designers to join the collaborative project. Contributing talents are invited to merge their vision and creativity with ECCO’s technical skills and knowledge.

Taking the body as a starting point, Nouchi’s collection debuted in his SS25 Paris Fashion Week collection. Harnessing an inherent sensuality that challenges conventional gender norms, high shine, polished leathers are maximised for their versatility.

_{ECCO.kollektive x Louis-Gabriel Nouchi}

_{ECCO.kollektive x Louis-Gabriel Nouchi}

“Our inspiration for this collection delves into the intricate textures of the human body, drawing parallels with the supple shininess and waxy allure of biker leather,” he says. The collection is executed in a strict palette of black, oxblood and pearlescent white.

The slit motif – a signature of Nouchi’s seven-year-old brand – is incorporated throughout the collection. Subtly toying with the language of eroticism flashes of reveal-and-conceal details are found on shoes, bags, including a Tote and Crossbody, and ready-to-wear.

_{ECCO.kollektive x Louis-Gabriel Nouchi}

For footwear, unisex Derby shoes, and a Helsinki loafer have a minimal, ’90s sensibility. Toes are squared and soles gently thickened, the platforms borrowed from archival ECCO shoes. The slash detail again appears on the upper strap of a loafer. Aligning with the innovation integral to ECCO.kollektive, the Truck Lace loafers feature a platform especially developed for Nouchi, drawing inspiration from cars and futurism, via sleek lines.

_{ECCO.kollektive x Louis-Gabriel Nouchi}

_{ECCO.kollektive x Louis-Gabriel Nouchi}

Embracing the technical capabilities of ECCO leather, Nouchi presents pieces that are unexpectedly lightweight. In a collision of the relaxed and the refined, tailored separates – a single-breasted blazer, pants and long-line shorts – are executed in fine biker nappa with a waxy finish.

The dichotomy between the robust and the fine is further explored in the collection’s fluid tank, column dress, shift dress and pencil skirt composed of strips of leather embroidered onto bi-stretch tulle.

by Chidozie Obasi

The post ECCO.kollektive joins forces with Louis-Gabriel Nouchi on a fuss-free collection first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

AT A time when society’s downturns are increasingly commonplace, dashes of feel-good optimism tend to be few and far between. For centuries, though, the arts have consistently and ingeniously trod the line between tradition and sophistication, innovation and intellectualism, with surprising and thought-provoking results that push our inner consciousness to far-fetched realms, becoming a no-brainer when seeking a soothing respite amid the world’s frantic chaos.

For Hugo Marchand, the art of dancing felt like a tool he could use to mould his freedom. “As a kid, I remember being in the studio, realising that my body was going to be a tool to express feelings,” recalls Marchand, laughing and talking with a gently poised demeanour like we’re in the back row at school. “While growing up, you become acquainted with the fact you have a body and you feel differently about it. That was the first thing that struck me strongly: that I had a body I could use, and within myself, I was triggered that this was going to be a tool of freedom.” 

_{Photograph: Alessandro Lo Faro}

Hailing from Nantes – a small town nestled in Western France – and now based in Paris, Marchand glimmers with an electric energy. Approximately a few minutes in, I’m already besotted with my interviewee. “I began dancing when I was nine years old, and previously I took circus and gymnastics classes,” he offers, as we begin to settle into our conversation. After four years at the Conservatoire de Nantes, Marchand joined the Paris Opera Ballet at 13, living in a boarding school which he deemed “challenging.”

“I feel very grateful, because the Paris Opera school is free as it’s a government-owned institution, and I would have never been able to join if it wasn’t publicly-funded,” he freely admits. “I did four years there, and I was lucky enough to be hired in the company when I was 17.” Marchand confesses the hierarchy and complexity present within the company’s ranks, detailing how one has to go through all of these to become a Principal dancer.

_{Photograph: Alessandro Lo Faro}

“You have an exam every year, a contest you have to pass which is quite complex because the Paris Opera has 154 dancers, not one more,” he says. “If you want to achieve the rank above you, you need to wait for a place or that someone retires in order to be promoted.”

Following a performance by La Sylphide, in which he took on the role of James on the stage of the Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo (Japan) on March 3rd 2017, he was named danseur étoile. “I wasn’t scheduled to attend the trip, but I did because one of the dancers got injured two weeks before going,” he opines. “La Sylphide is a very romantic ballet, and after the first performance, I got nominated.” 

As a dancer with a wealth of artistic feats under his belt, I couldn’t help but wonder how the past year was. “Very challenging and packed!” he grins, with cheer. His season began in September when he danced William Forsythe’s at the Paris Opera. Moreover, Marchand has starred in a ballet titled The Blake Works (choreographed over James Blake’s music) and Mayerling: a historical ballet by Kenneth McMillan that is daunting because the main character, Prince Rudolph, goes through a sad plot.

_{Photograph: Alessandro Lo Faro}

“He was a crazy man who got a disease, and he had to take morphine to deal with the pain,” he explains. “Moreover, the character has very complicated yet violent relationships with women: he ends by committing suicide with the last lover Mayerling, who is a city in Vienna, in Austria. This is a very famous story across Central Europe, but not very known in France and Italy. It’s a really incredible ballet that I loved dancing.” Marchand has recently rehearsed alongside Mats Ek, a modern choreographer that he’ll be working with in April 2025. 

Marchand is an artist of great poise and sheer gratitude: a feeling I sensed when he touched on the importance of mentorship. “I would say that Manuel Legris has been really the strongest example for the Paris Opera and myself,” he admits, “because we’ve been seeing him dance for so many years. All the Nureyev versions are mostly danced by Legris, and it’s great to be in Milan because I’d never worked with him.”

_{Photograph: Alessandro Lo Faro}

Marchand admires dancers Rudolf Nureyev and Nicolas Le Riche, to whom he’s very drawn from a technical and emotive perspective. “[Le Riche] was always very human in the way he embodied characters on stage,” he opines. “Never too much, but always with strong inspiration and taking risks.” 

Risks, then, with a wealth of determination for the taking were the elements that helped him navigate through the ranks amid a pool of talented artists. “I just followed my path and tried my best time after time, but I wouldn’t consider my career extraordinary,” he says, nodding his head without signs of peacocking braggadocio on display.

“When I was in the ranks in the company, I felt the urge to go out of them because it was a race about who would make it first,” Marchand reflects. “Once you’re a Principal, your role lasts for 15 years; so if there’s an available spot you need to take it and be ready for it. At first it was hard because I’m very tall, and my body is a bit different compared to the standards people see at the Paris Opera. I’m quite muscular, and I would be too visible in the corps de ballet. I was worried about that, but I actually discovered that it was a strength because I could dance with many different artists.”

_{Photograph: Alessandro Lo Faro}

On career challenges, he speaks with unguarded honesty. “Injuries spark many doubts within you, and when you have so much pressure and feel the stress sometimes you wonder whether you’re going to make it, if you’re talented enough, if you have what’s required to be an interesting artist so you can have big moments of doubt. It happens very regularly.”

It’s not all doom and gloom though; artistically speaking, Marchand’s talent is tinged with a positive air, with his impassioned identity providing weight and the slightly-potent confidence pulling all his qualities into sync.

Moving on to lighter territory, Marchand will debut in Milan’s Teatro alla Scala premiere of Nureyev’s Nutcracker, alongside the company’s Principal dancer Alice Mariani on December 18th. “The Nutcracker is a big deal for me because it’s the first role I danced as a soloist at the Paris Opera,” recalls Marchand. Back then, he was a coryphée (leading dancer in a corps de ballet) and he jumped into the role to dance with first soloist Melanie Hurel. “I remember that being a very stressful experience, and that before the last pas de deux I wanted to die,” he offers, chuckling between sips of water.

“After dancing my first show I felt so much anxiety that I kept thinking that I made a mistake, that I’m not made to be a dancer and all that,” he says, pausing momentarily. “After the second performance, though, I remember that during the pas de deux the music felt so beautiful to my ears that something let go and I began to take pleasure in the chasses, where I found a sense of freedom.” 

_{Photograph: Alessandro Lo Faro}

It’s exactly the reason why Marchand has a strong affection for this version of The Nutcracker. “It’s not about sugar-sweet vibes or little princesses: the ballet is much more complex than that, and the performances are much deeper and more meaningful. What I love about this version is that there’s a very psychoanalytic way of seeing things, because Clara is changing through the whole ballet; she’s a young girl discovering all her femininity and sexuality, while becoming a woman.”

Rudolf Nureyev always twisted the plot somewhere, and that’s a point of this Nutcracker Marchand feels it’s interesting because it shows how complicated the relationships in families can be. “It’s interesting to see that Drosselmeyer was a prince who is not just a charming person, but someone who will take Clara on a trip to help her discover herself. I love this version even though it’s very challenging technically, and musically with tricky patterns, but I’m really happy to dance with Alice as it’s the first time we dance together.” 

The duo met in January, the last time Marchand paid a visit to Milan to take a class and see the company. “After two days, Legris asked if I wanted to come and dance in a show next season,” he says. “That’s how the Nutcracker came about, and I’ve been waiting for this moment for a few months now.” 

Marchand feels “lots of pressure and very honoured as well to be invited to La Scala, because of how prestigious the institution is.” 

_{Photograph: Alessandro Lo Faro}

An institution that never lacks in ambition, which will see him partnering with the brilliant Alice Mariani, Principal Dancer at Milan’s Scala who completed a mesmerising performance of Balanchine/Robbins’ triptych a few weeks back. “I was five years of age when I started dancing, and as a very bubbly kind I was always running around to free-up my energy,” Mariani reminisces. “I started ballet and I’ve loved it since day one, so it felt like an awakening to me: there were mornings when I woke up, waiting for that hour to come.” 

Mariani’s ballet teacher advised her parents to take her to La Scala’s academy, a place where she didn’t know what to expect. “I didn’t even know what being a professional ballet dancer meant, and the beginning was quite hard because coming from a private ballet school and getting into the academy is no mean feat: the discipline, the rules like you had to be always silent and bow when the teacher was making her way in were quite shocking,” she says. 

However, her then-mentor Tatiana Nikonova saw something in her. “I joined the school at 13 to then graduate in 2011, and then moved to Dresden for 10 years; but then, I felt the desire to come back home and to join La Scala.” 

_{Photograph: Alessandro Lo Faro}

The first time Mariani saw The Nutcracker, she was shocked. “When they told me I had to do it, even more!” She exclaimed, “because I think it’s one of the most challenging ballet there is in the classical repertoire. For myself, I find that there are many ballets that are very hard, technically. But in a way, in this one you have to be very clean because there are some steps like the assemblè – which isn’t very hard – where if you don’t cross your legs enough it looks terrible.” 

The first time Mariani met Marchand in January, she had a winsome feeling about the artist. “I actually said it to people when he came, and I didn’t even know he was rehearsing for The Nutcracker and he probably didn’t even know,” she says. “I think we’re missing a dancer like him at La Scala, so I think it is an amazing opportunity for Milan, for our theatre, for us dancers to work with someone like him. And also, he’s such a hard worker too, fully committed to his role.” 

Turns out that Marchand’s least favourite roles fall into place when there’s a lack of honesty. “What is very hard for me to interpret is when the story is not true, if I don’t believe in the story myself, or if I don’t find my character real enough,” he admits.

_{Photograph: Alessandro Lo Faro}

“There are some roles in which I feel dumb in,” he says. On the flip side, though, he’s fond of the impassioned characters within Manon, La Dame aux Camélias, Onegin or Mayerling. “All these roles are very strong and allow you to share many different emotions,” he opines, “while showing all the skills of how theatrical we can be, because we’re like actors.”

Today, Marchand is aware of how the passing of years has changed his creative persona. “Well, I’ve been seeing myself changing a lot and it’s very reassuring, because changes are reassuring to me. It shows that we are moving on and we’re always improving,” he says. “Because if you don’t change and you find yourself doing the same things always the same way, what’s the point? You just repeat yourself all over again.”

_{Photograph: Alessandro Lo Faro}

On days off in Paris, Marchand enjoys a glass of wine with friends, connecting with nature, meditating and filling his life with other things than ballet. “Otherwise, we’re always staying the same!” He says, “so we need to have other experiences in life: love, pain, joy, disappointment, freedom—things that need to be explored, so that we can live them through the characters we bring on stage.” 

What will he do at 42, when étoiles are contractually obliged to retire? “Drag!” he wildly cackles, past our allotted interview time. “I’m joking, but I’d love to try once,” he concludes. “On a serious note, I’d love to still be on stage as an actor or as someone telling stories. I feel like storytelling is what I love the most about my job right now.” Retirement isn’t imminent though. Until then? “I hope to keep expressing freedom and love through my art.” And just like Marchand, I very much hope the same.

by Chidozie Obasi

Photographer: Alessandro Lo Faro (@alessandrolofaro.archive)

Stylist: Chidozie Obasi (@chido.obasi)

Hair: Gaetano Pane (@__mr.bread__) via (@julianwatsonagency)

Make up: Sofia Foiera (@sofiafoiera) via (@blendmanagement)

Set Designer: Irene Coveri (@pennyennyemmy)

Head of Production: Jessica Lovato (@jessicalovato_)

Fashion Coordinator: Davide BeloO (@coccobeloooo)

Photography assistant: Pietro Dipace (@_jamas_)

Styling sssistants: Isabella Petrocchi (@isabellapetrocchi) + Lilly Padilla (@lillympadilla)

+ Veronica Vaghi (@vaghiveronica) + Clara Bacetti @clabacetti + Linda Ripa (@lindaripaa)

_{Clothing Credits:}

_{Look 1: GIORGIO ARMANI}

Look 2: PRADA

_{Look 3: Top PHILOSOPHY DI LORENZO SERAFINI | Shorts GIVENCHY | Earrings ALICE’s OWN}

_{Look 4: Blazer BOSS | Trousers PAUL SMITH}

_{Look 5: Jacket GIVENCHY | Trousers JIL SANDER}

_{Look 6: Hugo Top PAUL SMITH | Trousers GUCCI | Alice Dress TOD’S | Skirt DOLCE & GABBANA}

_{Look 7: Top, skirt MARNI}

_{Look 8: Coat ACT N.1 | Tank DOLCE & GABBANA | Trousers HERMES}

_{Look 9: Jumper HERMES | Shirt MOSCHINO | Pins LOUIS VUITTON}

_{Look 10: DIOR MEN}

The post Inside Hugo Marchand’s pursuit of expression first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

MILAN, ITALY – After Balanchine/Robbins’ great success at Milan’s La Scala and all the principals involved in the three 20th-century masterpieces, the Ballet Season has drawn to a close.

But the city’s buzz continues apace, ready to immerse in the Christmas atmosphere and in the lights, but also in the shadows of Rudolf Nureyev’s Nutcracker. Set to open the new Ballet Season 2024-2025 and return to the stage from 18 December to 12 January 2025, anticipated on 17 December by the customary Preview for young people, has already sold out like all the replicas.

_{Photograph: Brescia e Amisano ©} 

_{Photograph: Brescia e Amisano ©} 

A welcome return of one of the most interesting and technically demanding ballets in the classical repertoire, but also an important occasion to welcome the La Scala debut of Hugo Marchand, étoile of the Paris Opéra, and many of the protagonists who have illuminated the 2022/2023 performances in the role of Clara and the Prince/Drosselmeyer as Nicoletta Manni, Martina Arduino, Alice Mariani, Agnese Di Clemente, Timofej Andrijashenko, Claudio Coviello, Nicola del Freo, Navrin Turnbull and the debut in January in the title roles of Camilla Cerulli and Marco Agostino. 

Hugo Marchand will open the performances with Alice Mariani (17, 18 and 20 December 2024); Agnese Di Clemente and Claudio Coviello will be on stage on 29 December 2024 and 4 January 2025; Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko will dance on 31 December 2024 and then the evenings of 3 and 5 January 2025.

_{Photograph: Brescia e Amisano ©} 

The afternoon of 5 January and then the evenings of 9 January will be the performances of Camilla Cerulli and Navrin Turnbull and on 7 and 11 January Marco Agostino and Martina Arduino. Virna Toppi and Nicola Del Freo will be given the final performances on 10 and 12 January.

Alongside them will be the Corps de Ballet, which will shine in the Christmas dances and above all in the marvellous choreographic designs of the famous waltzes, the soloists of the numerous dances, the students of the Ballet School and the Academy’s Children’s Choir, and, on the podium, conducting the La Scala Orchestra Valery Ovsyanikov. 

by Chidozie Obasi

The post Rudolf Nureyev’s Nutcracker gears up to spark winter joy at La Scala first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

MILAN, ITALY—Never lacking in ambition, Milan’s famed Teatro alla Scala has arguably set itself a big challenge with its production of Verdi’s sprawling tragedy La Forza del Destino, opening again 59 years after its previous staging. 

The opera was written during the middle of the composer’s career, and founded on a Spanish work by the Duke of Rivas. In the recent production that premieres for La Scala’s new season – a yearly tradition that falls into place on 7 December, in conjunction with St. Ambroeus’ celebrations – the opera brings in various elements with the centrifugal force that leans not only on one but two axes (namely, war and hope). 

_{Photograph: Brescia e Amisano ©} 

Yet it’s a mark of the strength of Leo Muscato’s direction, with a starkly atmospheric setting that sets the plot in a concentric wheel, holding up the thrill of the conclusive glimpse of redemption. The opera ostensibly exemplifies the power of fate, in a way that two lovers – Leonora (interpreted by Russian soprano Anna Netrebko) and Álvaro (played by Brian Jadge) – are pursued over the years by Leonora’s brother, Don Carlo, who is obsessed by his desire to avenge his father’s accidental death.

In addition to wanting to stain his family’s honour caused by his sister attempting to elope with a Peruvian man. Around them, war is taking place, cheered on by those profiteering from the havoc. 

_{Photograph: Brescia e Amisano ©} 

“This is an extremely complex opera,” explained Director Leo Muscato, “an opera that already from the script the libretto maintains a layered complexity. The acts are divided in different days, and each day is distant from one another, sometimes even years apart. The matter of this play is well-rounded, and we’ve tried to make it even more complex but with the sole objective of trying to tell this story that could also be exciting for the viewers who come to see it because of its background, which is the conflict. Right from the first scene, the war is only mentioned in our version, but it’s the key fil rouge, let’s say.” 

Verdi’s piece highly resonates with the global turbulence that is currently shaping the world’s conflicts. “In the opera, Verdi has also poured elements of hope in it, especially in the very last moments of the finale,” offered Muscato, explaining how “Leonora gives Alvaro the chance to forgive himself, and when he does, there is a change of melody and a change of harmony in which he finally says to Leonora how much he’s redeemed. In short, we hope to be able to give this emotion to the spectator because it is a very dramatic work, it is an epic tale, a historical one as well, which fortunately alternates dramatic scenes and also funny scenes in some cases, but in the finale fortunately has an element of hope that we push to emphasise.” 

_{Photograph: Brescia e Amisano ©} 

From American tenor Brian Jagde – who was brought in on short notice to replace German tenor Jonas Kaufmann, who dropped out due to personal reasons – to Ludovic Tezier and Anna Netrebko, leads were firing on all cylinders. “Success is the happiness of sharing this music with the audience and then, if it works, I’m happy because we shared a mutual experience together, brightly emphasizing the works of great composers.”

An emphasis that Dominique Meyer felt grounded in the very work of all trailblazing soloists. “To be able to tackle these roles, you cannot be a young man of 25,” concluded Meyer.  “So when we are lucky enough to have a generation of these artists, we can only thank God and the nature of things.” 

by Chidozie Obasi

The post Milan’s La Scala premieres Verdi’s sprawling opera La Forza del Destino first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

The Hug has a shape inspired by the movement of a hug, an emotional gesture; it is the quintessence of Ferragamo’s heritage of creative craftsmanship. 

_{Ferragamo Soft Hug Handbag}

In his creative process, Maximilian Davis sees heritage in modernity, and sophisticated luxury in the versatility of the everyday object, expressed through the quality of the leathers, the shapes that fit together, and the details. It is a new and more relaxed way of wearing the Hug bag that suits a modern and a contemporary lifestyle.

_{Ferragamo Soft Hug Handbag}

The inside of the Hug soft is a contrasting colour to the outside of the bag, folded and closed with a simple magnet. It is available in two sizes in black/red and burgundy/oxblood colour variations. A new icon takes shape through an authentic feeling of excellence and craftsmanship.

by Chidozie Obasi

The post Ferragamo’s Soft Hug collection celebrates the house’s heritage and modernity  first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

MILAN, ITALY – It’s a painful time to tell stories about the arts. Over the last weeks, Italian workers protested against national downturns causing severe hardships both in public services and to mid-level citizens.

As the government’s attempts to redirect the distribution of profits prompted sluggish aftermaths – exacerbating the sectors of health, education and public affairs – Italy’s trade unions have been mobilising day-long strikes across the country.

_{Teatro Alla Scala. Photograph: Brescia e Amisano ©}

Milan’s La Scala choristers and orchestra members, key components of the highly awaited concert planned on 29 November in memory of Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, eschewed the idea and declined to perform. Without further revocations, the evening was handled with great poise by superintendent Dominique Meyer who gave a speech to announce the new plan. 

“I do understand the strike as it’s for a right cause, but it was a very special date given many spectators came from abroad,” said Meyer. “While I’m respectful of laws and rules, I’m also respectful of the public and I thought, since I’m missing too many choristers and professors of the orchestra, why not give the public a full Pucciniam experience to the audience; in this case, we had a piece from every Puccini opera,” he says, explaining that “the singers were happy to do it and they agreed to sing much more than what was planned, if one made the comparison between the concert and the initial programme.” 

_{Jonas Kaufmann. Photograph: Gregor Hohenberg}

Exactly 100 years after the composer’s death, La Scala brought forth a concert that included soloists Anna Netrebko, Mariangela Sicilia and Jonas Kaufmann. The programme retraced youthful passages from the Preludio Sinfonico composed in 1882 for the final composition exam at the Conservatorio in Milan to the intermezzo from Madama Butterfly, which had its contrasting premiere at La Scala in 1904.

From Edgar, staged at La Scala in 1889 with a complex series of revisions, soprano Mariangela Sicilia sang the Prelude to Act III. The programme also comprised Act IV of the composer’s first great success: Manon Lescaut, staged in 1893 at the Teatro Regio in Turin.

More performers encompassed the likes of soprano Anna Netrebko, currently rehearsing Verdi’s La Forza del Destino which will open the new season on 7 December. Netrebko was also engaged in La Bohème in Monte Carlo and at La Scala was Floria Tosca in the edition conducted by Chailly on 7 December 2019. 

_{Anna Netrebko. Photograph: Vladimir Shirokov}

Additionally, Jonas Kaufmann—whose distinctive proclivity, versatility and timbre never forgets Puccini’s rendition of shading and colouring—returned to the famed Milanese stage: he recently released the duets album ‘Puccini Love Affairs’ (Sony) and in 2015 was the protagonist at La Scala in a tribute to the composer with the Philharmonic conducted by Jochen Rieder, which was filmed in a documentary directed by Brian Large. 

Lastly, Mariangela Sicilia (also expected at La Scala on 21 December in the Christmas Petite messe solennelle conducted by Daniele Gatti) is an authentic interpreter of this Puccini year. Last April she was applauded as Magda in La Rondine conducted at La Scala by Chailly. Still, in recent months she also sang Mimì in La Bohème at the Maggio Fiorentino and Macerata Festivals and Liù in Turandot at the Arena di Verona. 

Puccini was indeed one of the few composers capable of punching emotions to high levels. Kaufmann made an ardent, virile-sounding performance with an easy ring in his upper registers and a marvellous way with text; one could hear every word, which is relatively rare nowadays. Netrebko sounded glorious and marvellously moving in the way she suggests drama and dismay. 

_{Mariangela Sicilia. Photograph: Ugo Carlevaro e Ewa Lang}

It’s safe to say that both are two multifaceted artists in lyric and coloratura styles, engaged in ardent emotional exchanges, particularly in Manon Lescaut’s IV act duet: an extended arm, a glance away. Kaufmann had impeccable diction and vocal gleam from top to bottom, with scarcely a snag. Netrebko’s stage presence, on the other hand, is vivaciously dramatic, and she isn’t shy to embody the real Puccinian diva. 

Deserving the same top billing as Kaufmann and Netrebko, the Italian soprano Mariangela Sicilia brought great, sharp magnificence to the aria ‘O mio babbino caro’, stylishly sung with a punchy vibrato.

On the side of Netrebko, dramatic integrity, captivating characterisation and a rich lower register are of the essence, sometimes at the expense of accuracy. She sang with a depth of feeling and warmth of tone: La Boheme’s Quando m’en vo’ sounded beautiful, holding the stage every second she was on it. 

“I hope that we have done enough justice to celebrate this divine master who, in my opinion, was the king of melodies that have remained in our hearts almost all our lives,” concluded Kaufmann.

by Chidozie Obasi

The post Amid national strikes, Milan’s La Scala heads a strong cast in homage to Puccini’s death centenary  first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

La Scala’s concertos are, for the most part, genre-bending performances that are apt to tie musicologists in knots. Most of them date from early years and were composed for gifted virtuosi rather than professional amateurs. Their impact can vary, but the meticulous way they’re conducted is as prominent as ever.

Alexandre Kantorow’s concerto is one example: the French pianist, who performed on La Scala’s stage earlier in November, released a beautifully shaped performance including Brahms’s Piano Sonatas alongside works by Bartók and Liszt, and proved himself as a classical interpreter of sharp insight and distinctiveness.

_{Riccardo Chailly. Photograph: Brescia e Amisano ©}

In the sonatas, it’s the dark, gothic, almost supernatural side to the pieces that come through notably strongly. Several times, Kantorow sends his left hand far down the keyboard, either echoing or working against a melody heard at a much higher pitch, and in his playing these bass-line mutterings come across as something unsettling, even incomplete.

_{Brescia e Amisano | Teatro alla Scala. Photograph: Brescia e Amisano ©}

In the loudest passages, he makes the instrument ring, drawing the maximum resonance out of all those vibrating quavers yet somehow still maintaining clarity and definition in each pause. In the softest passages, his playing has a beguiling, sometimes dreamlike sweetness. His skill is a whole world in itself, and Kantorow’s interpretations reckon fully with their scope; his pacing of the shorter movements rounds the work off in a completely convincing way.

His penchant for spreading out chords from bottom to top might be a bit much for some listeners, especially when teamed with how he creates a rhythmic tug back and forth between the playing of his right and left hands, making a small discrepancy in where the beat falls, but it’s all in the service of some beautifully fluid and beguilingly expressive playing.

_{Brescia e Amisano | Teatro alla Scala. Photograph: Brescia e Amisano ©}

Simone Young’s baton is a marvel: not only does she demonstrate the wonderful poise and triumphant elegance of Brahms in her conduction, but she projects a captivating synergy typical of the composer’s regality and tonal ubiquity. A regality transposed in her conduction of Ein Heldenleben, leaning on Strauss’ diaphanously light coloratura juxtaposed with the orchestra’s depth.

These elements make a sweet coupling, though these works are, in fact, portraits of Strauss’s know-how and expertise. Heldenleben mockingly pits thoughts of domesticity against the twists and turns of stardom, nicely directed here by Young’s precision and irreverence, which comes across as a striking Straussian in some capacity.

_{Brescia e Amisano | Teatro alla Scala. Photograph: Brescia e Amisano ©}

The multiple ironies of Heldenleben are superbly caught, though the emotional rigour of her interpretation lies in an equally rigorous account of the touchingly beautiful treatment of the finale. The orchestral sound is lean and sinewy; it’s not for those who like their Strauss uber-opulent score. That this is deliberate, however, is born out by the warmer orchestral colours that Young adopts for her regal yet imposing performance of this season’s Heldenleben. 

Reimagining Verdi’s great tragedy of guilt, obsession and the reckless nature of fate in terms of 20th-century military conflict and its aftermath, Leo Muscato’s 2024 staging of La Forza del Destino returns to La Scala for its first revival, conducted by Riccardo Chailly. The show opens the Teatro alla Scala’s 2024/2025 Season on Saturday 7 December.

_{Still. Photograph: Brescia e Amisano ©}

The opera will be sung by Russian soprano Anna Netrebko (Donna Leonora; the part will be sung on 28 December and 2 January by Elena Stikhina), Brian Jagde (Don Alvaro), Ludovic Tézier (Don Carlo di Vargas),  The direction is by Leo Muscato, with sets by Federica Parolini, costumes by Silvia Aymonino and lighting by Alessandro Verazzi.  The opening evening is dedicated to Renata Tebaldi on the twentieth anniversary of her death.

The artist was a splendid performer of the part of Leonora at La Scala in 1955 under the baton of Antonino Votto.  The opera will be performed in the 1869 version reworked by Verdi for La Scala, according to the critical edition edited for Ricordi by Philip Gossett and William Holmes in 2005. Every year, the performance will be filmed by Rai Cultura cameras and broadcast live on television on Rai1 and radio on Radio3. The Premiere will be preceded on Wednesday 4 December by the Preview for the Under 30s and followed by seven performances on 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 28th December 2024 and 2 January 2025. 

The opera marked the conjunction between Giuseppe Verdi and La Scala after the rift that had occurred with Bartolomeo Merelli at the premiere of Giovanna d’Arco in 1845. Verdi would no longer write a new opera for the Milanese theatre until Otello in 1887, but he did make substantial changes to the score of La Forza presented in St. Petersburg in 1862.

In the 19th century, the opera would only be revived in 1871 and 1877, with Franco Faccio conducting. It was Arturo Toscanini who revived the title in the new century with a performance in 1908, and then in 1928 with a new production designed by Giovacchino Forzano. The sets, by Edoardo Marchioro, were also the backdrop for productions directed by Giuseppe Del Campo (1929, 1930), Gabriele Santini (1934), Gino Marinuzzi (1940), Victor de Sabata and Nino Sanzogno (1943).

_{Still. Photograph: Brescia e Amisano ©}

After the war, the first conductor to bring La Forza del Destino back to La Scala was Victor de Sabata in 1949, again alternating with Nino Sanzogno. Particular affection for this title was shown by Antonino Votto, who directed it in 1955 with Renata Tebaldi as Leonora and Giuseppe Di Stefano as Don Alvaro, and again in 1957 and 1961. In 1965 Gianandrea Gavazzeni chose La Forza to open the season, the direction was by Margherita Wallmann and the sets again by Nicola Benois.

The cast of 7 December sees Ilva Ligabue, Carlo Bergonzi, Piero Cappuccilli (replaced from the second act by Carlo Meliciani), Nicolai Ghiaurov and Giulietta Simionato for the last time Preziosilla at La Scala after four productions. Luciana Savignano, who has recently joined the La Scala Ballet Company, is also among the solo dancers.

After opening the 1965/66 season, La Forza del Destino returned to La Scala in 1978, conducted by Giuseppe Patanè and directed by Lamberto Puggelli. The sets of this legendary production were designed by Renato Guttuso, who had already collaborated in the creation of three other performances at La Scala.

The cast was historic, with Montserrat Caballé, José Carreras, Piero Cappuccilli and Nicolai Ghiaurov. It took 21 years for the title to be revived, and it was Riccardo Muti who revived it under the direction of Hugo de Ana, who also designed the sets and costumes.

The protagonists include Georgina Lukács, José Cura, Leo Nucci and Luciana D’Intino, but also Alfonso Antoniozzi as Melitone. This same production would be taken on tour to Japan the following year, again with Muti on the podium: these would be the last performances of the 1869 La Scala version with the theatre’s ensembles.

La Forza also returned to La Scala in 2001, when the Mariinsky ensembles conducted by Valery Gergiev performed the 1862 St. Petersburg version as part of the Grandi Teatri per Verdi festival.

by Chidozie Obasi

The post From Strauss to Verdi, Milan’s La Scala teeters between wrathful darkness and riveting sweetness  first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

DESPITE glacial temperatures hitting the upper hemisphere at an increasingly troubled pace, it’s hard not to find a warm solace across the sun-tinged canvases of Lebanese-Venezuelan artist Angelo Mansour. Upon closer inspection, his strokes make for a world full of poignant thrills, but more on that later. 

_{Photograph: Giulia Mantovani}

Hailing from Lebanon, Mansour and his family swiftly moved to Nigeria for 12 years because of his father’s job. “The minute I popped out, I flew there!” he chuckled between sips of water. “And when I moved, I loved it.” The cross-pollination of cultural references that constitute Western Africa’s beauty was pivotal for Mansour’s growth, further sparking a sense of awareness for the breadth of tribes that shape the country into one of the most populated in the whole continent.

“I felt like I was more aware of different cultures, and I honestly couldn’t feel diverse skin tones while living there,” he says. “It felt like we’re all the same, and people were very intellectual and colliding with one another.” After a period spent in Victoria Island, he returned to Lebanon to complete his training. As he got older, he began to love it more and more.

_{Photograph: Giulia Mantovani}

“After high-school, I went on to study two years of Architecture at university,” he reminisces. “I then moved to Milan aged 19, the year that the Beirut explosion happened; I called my dad on that day expressing my eagerness to move out.”

Mansour then applied to Milan’s famed Politecnico, in the faculty of Architecture. “I didn’t like it, as I didn’t find my artsy self in the course!” he exclaims. “I felt like it was very limiting artistically speaking, and from an expressive point of view I decided to change my major into Visual arts, where I had so much freedom of expression”.

_{Photograph: Giulia Mantovani}

As a person of great poise, it seems apt to ask about his first bond with the art world. “Since I was a child, I never knew how to express myself verbally,” he blithely recalls. “I was a very shy kid, on my own, doing my thing; If I was in class, I was drawing while if I was at home, I would do something that involved storytelling, reading books, all that.”

Luckily, Mansour has a mother who paints. “While she paints, I’d be with her drawing and I must admit that she was always my supporter, giving me sketchbooks. I remember always buying Archie Comics, through which I really started sketching. If I saw Lilo and Stitch on TV, I’d draw it. So anything that really captivated me as a child, I drew”.

_{Photograph: Giulia Mantovani}

His practice leans on both painting and poetry, but how does he manage to bridge both aspects and infuse them into his work? “When I went back to Lebanon, we had this very special artist named Khalil Gibran who was one of the most interesting artists I’ve really looked into. In a way, he was a multimedia artist who wrote, painted and carved on trees. So with his way of expressing himself and creating art, I really admired it and grew up writing and understanding how to inspire from it.”

Mansour’s penchant for poetry, on the other hand, stems from a singer, Fairuz. “Do you know how Adele is one of the key voices of the Western world? We have Fairuz who’s the Adel of the Middle East!” he exclaims, explaining how everyone’s inspired by her. 

_{Photograph: Giulia Mantovani}

“The references I have come from my backgrounds, likewise how I was raised, what my people are going through and what my country is going through. And honestly, not only my mom was a painter. My grandma was a seamstress and I just love the conversations I have with her about her culture and where she’s from. Last time, I didn’t know her grandma came from Syria, and I want my paintings to express my background, what I’m going through as a person and what it’s like being an Arab slash Latino at this age”.

_{Photograph: Giulia Mantovani}

Living through a wealth of cultures while coming of age is no mean feat, so I can’t help but wonder who the subjects portrayed in his paintings are. “That is a very, very interesting point,” he offers. “It’s mostly family, friends, and religion. Most of my art topics are about feeling lost and sometimes, I feel very confused”.  

After a short pause, I can sense the depths of Mansour’s identity. They stretch far beyond the familiar, a stroke or a painstaking tint, pointing to vulnerability and emotion-laced turmoil in equal measure. “If you can’t go home, where is home?” He muses, his head tilting with dismay. “Once I step onto the ground of my country, even though it’s in a bad state, just listening to my first language just feels welcome. But knowing that I can’t be there, and I can’t live there, and I can’t work there makes me wonder where I belong. It’s just confusing”.

_{Photograph: Giulia Mantovani}

_{Photograph: Giulia Mantovani}

This is exactly the reason why Mansour uses art as a beacon for change, escapism and utter freedom against the cruel tides that are shaping his country and the world at large. “How I want to feel with my paintings is a safe space where someone could just view it and relax, even though they have a lot to say in the sense of belonging and culture, religion and faith. I want someone to understand, even though the world is a scary place and there’s a lot of issues going around it, to feel safe, sit down, take a good breath and come to terms that there’s a lot of complex problems going on”.

As for colours and textures? “The colours I choose are very light. I want to feel like it’s breathable. I want to capture the essence of oxygen, because it’s also a very smooth texture as well. On the side of techniques, it’s mostly based on oil painting,” he opines. “I started with sketching, drawing and I was very comfortable with pencils, just using charcoal. And then, when I went to Naba, I had this professor who changed my whole perspective into oil painting”.  

_{Photograph: Giulia Mantovani}

So why put himself through this shift? “I’m such a perfectionist that I get stuck with my old paintings,” he says. “I naturally just go back to my old paintings to add a certain touch, to understand what I want to convey. I create such a deep connection with each painting and having an art block comes to me once in a while; what helps, though, is that I break that bridge when I write and it flows again naturally.” 

It is easy to be entranced, as I clearly was, by Mansour’s line of thought, but beneath his soulful persona it seems like he’s scared of being type-cast one day. “What scares me the most about my future as an artist is being very culturally attached to where I come from, resulting in an issue,” he admits.

“I’m afraid one day people will fail to work with my race or nationality because of what’s been going on with the war, but I’m hopeful I’ll never have to go through this.” And, just like Mansour, I hope the same.

by Chidozie Obasi

Photographer: Giulia Mantovani (@giuliamantovaniph)

Stylist: Chidozie Obasi (@chido.obasi)

Grooming: Loris Rocchi (@lorisrocchi)

Producer: Jessica Lovato (@jessicalovato_)

Fashion Coordinator: Davide Belotti (@coccobeloooo)

Photography assistant: Antea Ferrari (@_effe_a_)

Styling assistant: Veronica Vaghi (@vaghiveronica)

Clothing Credits:

_{Look 1: Jacket BOSS | Top BARON STUDIO | Skirt THE FRANKIE SHOP | Trousers MEIMEIJ}

_{Look 2: LOUIS VUITTON}

_{Look 3: PAUL SMITH}

_{Look 4: Shirt GIVENCHY | Trousers HERMÈS}

_{Look 5: Coat BOSS | Trousers THE FRANKIE SHOP}

_{Look 6: PRADA}

The post Angelo Mansour talks to Glass about identity, plurality and longing to belong first appeared on The Glass Magazine.