A proud, haughty face of a Dominican woman looms at the back of an alcove made of flourishing green kentia palms, cushions with tropical motifs, brocades and animalier patterns. Here, inside the famous Maraca restaurant in Santo Domingo – the coolest spot in the whole Dominican Republic – visitors are faced by this brash, beautiful image, the latest work by the company Sicis, resulting from the collaboration between the artist Willgom and the architect Ramon Emilio Jimenez Vicens of the studio Arquimilio.
Entirely made by hand by mosaic masters, using tiles from the Murano collections, Audacity – as it is fittingly titled – seems perfectly at ease in the rich multicolored interiors of the venue, capturing attention in a hypnotic, sensual way with its expressive features and vivid hues.
This is the latest portrait in the Shades collection by Sicis, now at number 10, where the stylists and artists of the maison emphasize the force of women through their faces and their strong, contemporary personalities. The fabrics portrayed seem almost palpable, like the accessories and jewelry, in a soft, fluid language that breaks down cultural barriers, with the limits dictated by inequalities and discrimination. A clear signal on the part of the Ravenna-based company, one of the first to shift artistic mosaic work into the contemporary age, that the world of design can express beauty while at the same time conveying even strong social contents. All without losing sight of imagination, innovation and originality.
Photo © Harold Lambertus
