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Fashion Meets Masterpieces
“The Berlin Salon” Gemäldegalerie Berlin
4. – 23. February 2025
On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, “Der Berliner Salon” will be showing an exclusive group exhibition of 53 young designers at the Gemäldegalerie. The exhibition is curated under the direction of Christiane Arp (Vogue) chairwoman of the Fashion Council Germany, in collaboration with the Gemäldegalerie and is one of the highlights of Berlin Fashion Week.
Photo: Franziska Krug /getty images
Talking Hats
Cooperation Fiona Bennett with artist FLATZ, exhibited in his retrospective, Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich
In 2024, Fiona Bennett had the incredible opportunity to showcase our collaboration with the brilliant artist FLATZ at his retrospective in the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich. A Sound Installation & the Next Chapter the Talking Hats Series. Its a little-known fact that FLATZ has also been writing poetry since 1997. One of his poems, recited by the artist himself, can be heard beneath three oversized hat objects. As a retrospective self-reflection, it describes the social role of the artist as FLATZ understands it:
„I was… the destroyer in the mirror of complaisance…/ | was… the dark stain on the dress of innocence… / / was… the cell death of cosiness…”.
Photo: Joachim Gern
Pamoja, Artist Residency, Kasbah Lamu, Kenya, Februar 2024
It was an extraordinary pleasure to present my contribution as Artist in Residency at the Kasbah Art Show on Lamu Island/ Kenya in the form of one of my large hats. This hat represents a further development of my previous hat works. In terms of content, I am always concerned with the power of connection. In a time characterised by distance and division, this interactive installation reminds us to cherish and celebrate shared moments.
“Pamoja, we have a dream. Amani” Room Installation by Lili & Jesko in which I was invited to participate with the large hat.
I would also like to thank the highly esteemed craftsmen on Lamu Island. The metal base was made by Salim Mirza in Lamu town, while Athman Mohamed spent many days making the straw mats and sewing the hat together by hand. Many thanks go to Mafreeza and the lovely Kasbah Boys for skilfully hanging the hat on the large Acra tree in the Kasbah Art Shop, where the weather will now continue to transform the hat.
But my biggest thanks go to @herbertmenzer (founder of shela-hat-contest.com) who invited me to enter the magical world of Lamu, Kenya, for the artist residency at Kasbah Lamu.
This experience has enriched me immeasurably.
Ari – Arirang
“Ari – Arirang. Korea – Faszination für ein verschlossenes Königreich”
13.10.23 – 15.07.24, Humboldtforum Berlin
A special exhibition of the Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Asian Art, National Museums in Berlin
Land of Hats
Joseon-period hats, for which Korea, referred to as the “Land of Hats” in 19th-century travel literature, was known, are a focal point of the Berlin Korea collection. With an expansive hat landscape, the exhibition presents the diversity of these hats and shows what they stood for. In addition, it draws a bow to the present with hats made especially for the exhibition by the Berlin-based artist and fashion designer Fiona Bennett, whose creations are worn by celebrities worldwide. It illustrates the extent to which the technically elaborate Korean hats continue to fascinate the hat trade, which is almost extinct in Germany. Bennett’s hats themselves are made to speak in the exhibition and, as “Talking Hats”, tell fascinating
stories about her eventful life in an interactive audio installation.
Photo: Klaus Mellenthin
Fiona Bennett, Hut-Designerin – eine Geschichte aus Berlin
Business-Podcast für Marken und ihre Macherinnen
LESUNG LISA D. & FIONA BENNETT @FLUSH, BERLIN 25.11.19
Anlässlich der Veröffentlichung von Lisa D.’s Buch »Klääsch« veranstalteten Fiona Bennett und Lisa D. am 25.11. 2019 im Flush im Berliner Wintergarten Varieté zwei inspirierende Lesungen. Die zwei Frauen nahmen ihr Publikum mit zurück in ein Berlin der 1980er und 1990er Jahre, das sie gemeinsam mit ihren wilden Inszenierungen nachhaltig prägten. Neben den Erzählungen der beiden Modeschöpferinnen wurden illustre Filme aus ihrer gemeinsamen Zeit in dem wohl ungewöhnlichsten und schönsten Sanitärbereich der Welt gezeigt, Design von Fiona Bennett & Hans-Joachim Böhme.
Sowohl Lisa D.’s Buch “Klääsch.” als auch Fiona Bennetts & Eva Sichelschmidt’s “Vom Locken der Federn” sind, auch als Geschenkset, in unserem Ladengeschäft erhältlich.
»Klääsch« © 2019 MaroVerlag
von Lisa D.
»Vom Locken der Federn« © 2013 Knesebeck Verlag
von Fiona Bennett & Eva Sichelschmidt
Es war ein wundervoller Abend! Vielen Dank an das Wintergarten Varieté Berlin und an die zahlreichen Besucher.
NOSEDIVE II
Conceived by a free spirit that doesn’t need categories. Fiona Bennett reinvents interior design – just recently the „flush“ at Berlin’s Wintergarten Varieté (with Hans-Joachim Böhme) – , creates costumes for theatre and film and is a successful businesswoman and member of the “International Women’s Forum“. Her creation “Nosedive“ was shown at the VON BARTHA-gallery in Basel, it was party of the 2016 exhibition „Surrealism & Beyond“ at the Boljmans van Beuningen-Museum in Rotterdam and is currently on display at Galerie Alexander Ochs. “Nosedive II“ – created by Fiona Bennett specifically for Berlin’s Kornversuchsspeicher – is a departure from familiar terrain. It connects mental labour to the room and the room to the spectator and displays a mirror image as multi-faceted as the person reflected in it.
The object was shown as part of the group exhibition „Wonderland II“ at Kornversuchsspeicher from April through July 2018.
NOSEDIVE II 2018 – Mirror 170 cm diameter, Bird 200 cm wingspan, 2000 golden feathers
Photo: Joachim Gern
ELLE BRIDAL AWARDS, BARCELONA
The ELLE Bridal Awards 2018 were awarded as part of Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week and hosted by the wonderful Rossy de Palma.
Fiona Bennett was invited to be part of the expert jury and got to present the award for Best Wedding Jewelry Collection to Cartier for their Love Collection.
FLUSH
Wintergarten Berlin
Seductive, irritating and light as a feather:
Artist Fiona Bennett and Designer Hans-Joachim Böhme have created washrooms for “Wintergarten Berlin“ that promise a unique experience.
Direction: Georg Strecker, Jörg Wiesner
Architect: Meyer-Rogge & Kutsche Architektur GbR
Developer: Arnold Kuthe Liegenschaft Potsdamer Straße 96 GmbH
Planning and Realisation: 2014-2017
Corporate Design
colours: ruby red, cobalt blue, cream white, brass, copper
materials: Bianco Perlino marble, glass mosaic, fine plaster, brass, copper, bronze, steel, cast aluminium, Corian, velvet, porcelain, travertine, wood, glass, terrazzo.
ROYALER BESUCH IN BERLIN: PRINZ WILLIAM UND HERZOGIN KATE
Prince William and Duchess Kate visited Berlin’s creative scene in the hall of mirrors at Clärchens Ballhaus as part of their tour through Germany. Fiona Bennett was one of those chosen to talk to Duchess Kate in private. They talked about hats, craft and tradition. July 20th 2017
