CREATIVES & EXPERTS
Each program draws from an array of international talent — creatives, business insiders and experts.
Angie Abbink
Maintaining the integrity of place while engaging with fairytale is the basis of Angie’s collaborative practice which encompasses architecture, art, interiors and urbanism.
Alix Eynaudi
Trained at Paris Opera, Alix is a dancer and choreographer who focusses on changing the paradigm of space and format to deliver public productions outside the theatre.
Stuart McKenzie
Critically acclaimed film maker, writer and director.
Patrizia Bonanzinga
Dissecting and reassembling images with a journalist’s eye and a love of mathematics, Patrizia’s projects include work for Hermes (Paris) and the National Gallery of Modern Art (Rome).
Matteo Fargion
A concert, theatre and dance composer, Matteo is interested in collaborative performances, including with dancer Jonathan Burrows, which embrace a small-scale, handmade aesthetic.
Raimundas Malasauškas
Exploring the boundaries of art through exhibitions, performance and writing. Interested in music, culture, food, history, rumours, and time travel. Past curatorial roles at the Jeu de Paume (Paris), Artists Space (New York) and several pavilions of the Venice Biennale.
Jonathan Burrows
Dance soloist, choreographer and author Jonathan has developed an acclaimed body of work and has held dance teaching roles at universities in the UK and Germany.
Gili
With acute cross-cultural perception, mentalist and visual comedian Gili amazes and amuses in workshops that reveal human tells and provides an insight into how we process information.
Ewa Gorniak Morgan
Venetian by choice, a place to which she has dedicated her adult life and eloquently described in her prose poem ode to Venice. Ewa is also an explorer of paper, as an art material, a way to reach and read the past, and a symbol of traditions and economy.
Vittoria Cossa
Foodie artisan, Vittoria sets a new standard in her adopted city with her traditional, gourmet brand Lievito Madre, extending this quality to our community-focused table.
Brigid Grauman
Brussels-based European culture writer, published author, and former magazine editor. Brigid crafts stories from every kind of source material — an invaluable skill she shares with humour.
Ursula Robb
Elite contemporary dancer and tertiary educator with an international career that includes developing young talent and exploring concepts of finding place through physical self.
Cathy Cunliffe
Architectural Photographer interpreting spaces as emotive domains. Cathy's formative days were spent at Magnum and as one of the last assistants to Henri Cartier-Bresson. Cathy is playful and her personal work, dreamlike.
Miranda Harcourt
International creative consultant and performance coach with clients including Oscar-winning and nominated actors.
François Xavier Saint Pierre
Exhibiting work with political, cultural and mythological themes, Francois’s practice explores the connection between classical and contemporary culture, the history of perception and perceptual psychology, and the relationship between colour and language.
Bernard de Grunne
Expert art dealer and Sotheby’s former worldwide head of Tribal Art, Bernard places primitive art within its own discipline and alongside contemporary art, emphasising authenticity and aesthetics.
Patrick Lynch
Artistic director, actor and creator of the poetic realms of Lyngo Theatre, Patrick brings the same levity and play to realise performative goals and explore everyday experience.
Joe Sartorius
Leveraging the power of the moving image to make documentaries on social and environmental issues, with a particular focus on unusual spaces and the people that inhabit them, Joe is also an experienced tour leader and youth educator.
ALEXANDER SIMPSON
A leading countertenor of his generation, Alexander is often found in Venice’s Marciana library researching manuscripts to resurrect with his arresting performances. Alexander also offers masterclasses and tutoring in both Venice and London.
Founders
Three New Zealanders pivoting in their professional careers to build on a belief in the value of the arts — its life affirming and life expanding qualities and its place in creating positively imbued perspective and non-threatening access to greater knowledge.
With a combined background in education, psychology, arts management and cultural policy, they also have a lifetime of experience living abroad and navigating cultural challenges, as well as raising their own families.
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URSULA ROBB
PROGRAMME ADVISOR
Elite contemporary dancer and tertiary educator, Ursula has extensive international experience in performance and developing young talent. This project a natural extension of her work of finding place.
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HERMIONE BUSHONG
ADMINISTRATOR
Hermione is passionate about the arts and the residency model and believes it is the future of education — a series of bespoke, immersive, idea cluster experiences like the Venetian Workshop.
Background
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WENDY TOWERS
LIFE COACH
Deeply empathetic and down to earth expatriate mother of four with a full psychotherapy practice extends her learning and acute sense of being to course participants.
"The Venetian workshop offers an enviable cultural and intellectual experience. They’re a wonderful launch pad for young people who will shape the future.”
— GILES MERRITT
“I feel safe here, I can walk everywhere, I can soak up the art and culture, and the people have been very kind… I have more time for people, more time for me and more time to figure out what I want in the future. It is as if life has sprinkled some magic on me.”
— Mylène EbRard
“Thanks for the process, the journey, the support — all the love, care and energy you put into us”