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JR\u2019s connection to the site is rooted in his recurring stays at the monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore, where the original Veronese painting hung for over two centuries before its removal to the Louvre. By returning this imagery to Venice as a contemporary \u2018fresco\u2019 in textile<\/strong><\/a>, the artist addresses a historical displacement while highlighting a modern initiative of mutual aid. \u2018This is a very special project, because it\u2019s the first time I do a tapestry, but also because of the incredible story that resides behind this piece\u2018. The composition is based on Refettorio Paris, a community kitchen launched eight years ago that recovers surplus ingredients \u2013 items discarded by supermarkets due to minor aesthetic defects \u2013 and transforms them into refined three-course meals served free of charge to refugees and homeless individuals.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n community kitchen as inspiration for venice biennale project<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In the tapestry, 176 real-world participants from the Refettorio take the place of the figures in Veronese\u2019s original work. JR describes the resulting scene as a documentation of a specific social choreography: \u2018This is almost like a little theater of life\u2026 all the volunteers that come every night, we ask them to play a role that night, which is very important, it\u2019s actually at the key of those dinners\u2018.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The work flattens professional distinctions, placing world-renowned chefs like Alain Ducasse and Massimo Bottura in service roles alongside the people they cook for. JR notes that the dining experience, which includes music from performers like U2, creates a unique sense of equality: \u2018I like that, I think it put everybody\u2019s ego in place\u2026 the chefs, they actually want to impress them with a meal that they feel very special\u2026 they only see the love and respect that was put into the plate\u2018.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018the wedding at cana\u2019 reimagined as high-tech textile art piece<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The tapestry, which will remain permanently at The Venice Venice Hotel, measures 4.30 meters in height and 7.80 meters in width. Its production by Fondazione Bonotto involved 600 hours of research and weaving to translate JR\u2019s complex photographic digital file into a woven medium. The materials chosen for the work emphasize an ecological sensitivity, using blue yarns for the sky and black shadow tones derived from recycled plastic sourced from domestic chemical and soap containers. These are integrated with virgin wool, organic cotton, and traditional Japanese Washi paper. <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Giovanni Bonotto highlights the technical strain this posed: \u2018No textile computer is programmed to handle a file so big\u2026 our computer can\u2019t accept a file so big like this because we weave in mechanical looms, industrial mechanical looms, and the looms keep crashing, crashing, crashing\u2019. For Bonotto, the final piece represents a victory for human intelligence: \u2018The work also symbolizes the fight between man and machine\u2026 we want to demonstrate the human intelligence has the sensibility to find a way to win\u2019.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n digital platform amplifies marginalized voices in exhibition<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Beyond the visual archive, the project includes a functional act of restitution designed to provide tangible support to the local community. Each portrait in the installation is linked to a recorded voice, creating a digital platform where the personal histories of the marginalized are preserved and accessible. During the exhibition, visitors are encouraged to make donations to Venezia Prossima, a Venetian charity that mirrors the meal service model of the Paris Refettorio. Additionally, following the Biennale, the lightweight panels used for the temporary installation on the palazzo\u2019s facade will be donated rather than discarded. <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n As JR reflects on the project: \u2018In this work, the banquet becomes a necessary space of encounter, where beauty ceases to be a privilege and becomes a shared human experience\u2018. By translating a social initiative into a permanent architectural element, JR and Bonotto move away from the spectacle of large-scale art toward a durable record of service and mutual care.<\/p>\n![\"'a](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/@JR-Il-Gesto-a-contemporary-interpretation-of-The-Wedding-at-Cana_2026_Facade_10.jpg\")
on the building\u2019s facade, a large-scale installation transforms the Veneto-Byzantine architecture | image courtesy of JR<\/a><\/p>\n![\"'a](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/JR-Il-Gesto-a-contemporary-interpretation-of-The-Wedding-at-Cana_2026_Tapestry-artwork.jpg\")
176 real-world participants take the place of the figures in Veronese\u2019s original work | image courtesy of JR<\/p>\n![\"'a](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/\u00a9Venice-Venice-Hotel-Alessandro-Lana-Alessandro-Gallo-JR-Giovanni-Bonotto_2.jpg\")
from left to right: Alessandro Gallo, JR, and Giovanni Bonotto | image by Alessandro Lana<\/a> courtesy Venice Venice Hotel<\/p>\n![\"'a](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/\u00a9Venice-Venice-Hotel-Alessandro-Lana-making-of_1.jpg\")
behind the scenes of the making of the tapestry | image by Alessandro Lana<\/a> courtesy Venice Venice Hotel<\/p>\n