Bvlgari... ‘Kaleidos,’ from the Greek kalos (beautiful) and eidos (form), evokes a rapidly changing world, mirroring the journey offered to visitors. Designed as a sensory odyssey, the exhibition is built around jewellery, archives, immersive installations and contemporary art. Never before has Bvlgari displayed such a wide range of creations in Japan, with over 350 pieces from the Heritage collection, private collections and exceptional commissions, brought together under the patronage of the Italian Embassy. This diplomatic backing confirms the multicultural dimension of the project, a choice made by the House.
Bvlgari : A dialogue between art and jewellery
Colour is not just a matter of precious stones, but also a medium, a language that connects disciplines. This is why Bvlgari chose to invite three contemporary artists to enrich the experience: Lara Favaretto, Mariko Mori and Akiko Nakayama. Their installations create a poetic and sensitive counterpoint to the jewellery on display.
A fusion that focuses on how colour shapes our emotions. Whether it's stones set in gold or ephemeral flows of water and light, the exhibition unfolds like a thread between centuries-old craftsmanship and contemporary experimentation.
Italy and Japan: a story of resonance
The scenography, entrusted to Japanese architects SANAA and Italian studio Formafantasma, brings a cultural note between Rome and Tokyo. Inspired by the ancient mosaics of Caracalla as well as the ginkgo leaf, it combines curved shapes, transparencies and chromatic effects to guide visitors on a sensory journey.
Through three chapters (the science of colours, their symbolism, and their relationship to light), the exhibition unfolds a ‘chromatic revolution’. Here, a citrine bracelet evokes the Roman sunsets of the 1940s. There, the famous Seven Wonders necklace (1961), worn by Monica Vitti and Gina Lollobrigida, returns to Tokyo after a ten-year absence. The journey culminates in front of a collection of polychrome necklaces from 1969.
Two inaugural pieces sum up this encounter: the paperweight in the shape of a Roman temple and the circular brooch decorated with mother-of-pearl and polychrome enamel. Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bvlgari, points out that ‘colour has the power to tell stories and transcend time,’ while Gianluigi Benedetti, Italy's Ambassador to Japan, praises a project that embodies ‘mutual admiration and fruitful exchanges between our two nations.’
Beyond the shop windows, Bvlgari Kaleidos offers an interactive experience featuring videos, installations and immersive spaces to encourage curious visitors to come and discover the gems. This exhibition, currently presented by Bvlgari in Japan, breaks down the walls of jewellery to land in its cocoon. It is a well-thought-out link, that of craftsmanship of excellence, capable of bringing Italy and Japan together.
Translated by Bethszabee Garner
