Vendemmia d’Artista
GHADA AMER & REZA FARKHONDEH
ORNELLAIA 2007
“L’ARMONIA”
The character of Ornellaia 2007, the second edition of Vendemmia d’Artista, was “L’Armonia”.
It was chosen to describe a particularly normal vintage, in which the individual components were connected by a single thread, which resulted in a classy and enjoyable wine.
Ghada Amer and Reza Farkhondeh were the artists chosen to interpret “L’Armonia”.
THE ARTISTS
Ghada Amer and Reza Farkhondeh are New York-based artists, whose works are inspired by far eastern ornamental traditions that are reworked according to modern tastes. Their artistic expression explores varying themes, from a reflection on written and oral language to the female condition, eroticism and the pursuit of inspirational influences deriving from various sources. These subjects are reflecting in the artists’ works in the form of paintings, drawings, sculptures and gardens. Born in Cairo, after spending time in France, Ghada Amer has lived in New York since the Nineties and she has held many shows in leading museums in America, Europe and in Asia. Ghada Amer created exclusive labels for an extremely limited set of large-format bottles of Ornellaia 2007 Vendemmia d’Artista L’Armonia, alongside Reza Farkhondeh, an artist she has worked with since 2000 in making drawings, prints and monoprints. Reza Farkhondeh was born in Iran, he lived in France and currently lives in New York. In his works, the artist examines the perception of reality and the way in which the more intimate aspects of the contemporary world emerge.
THEME AND SPECIAL LABELS
For “L’Armonia” of Ornellaia 2007, Ghada Amer and Reza Farkhondeh created an outdoor installation, a garden featuring letters that comprise the fairytale-like phrase “Happily*Ever*After”. Positioned in front of the entrance to the Ornellaia winery, the romantic tradition-inspired work alludes to the fairytale world and its narrations. The circular shape and white jasmine plants that adorn every letter bestow harmony and allegory to the artists’ installation. The limited set of large-format collectible Ornellaia 2007 Vendemmia d’Artista bottles interpret the theme of L’Armonia using the phrase “Happily*Ever*After”, which is embroidered onto every label.
Some of the large-format bottles of Vendemmia d’Artista “L’Armonia” were auctioned by Sotheby’s on 28 April 2010. The profits were donated to the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.