Candy Chandeliers: the sweet vulnerability of Murano Glass
At the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, inside the elegant rooms of Palazzo Contarini Polignac, visitors are confronted with a scene that feels both familiar and strange at the same time. From the ceiling hang chandeliers that immediately recall the Murano glass tradition, but a closer look reveals something unexpected: instead of glass, hundreds of colorful candies form their structure.
The installation, titled She Knew She/It/They Would Melt, was created by Dutch artist and designer Simone Post as part of the Still Joy – From Ukraine into the World collection, presented by the Ukrainian Pavilion. It is a visually striking work, but what stands out most is the dialogue it creates with one of the most recognizable symbols of Venetian craftsmanship.
Murano chandeliers as inspiration
In the main hall of the Venetian palace, Simone Post has created around twenty chandeliers made entirely of colorful candies. The installation does not reference a single model, but instead moves through the full history of the Venetian chandelier, creating a suspended display that brings together centuries of Murano glass.
You can recognize the simpler early forms, the rich floral compositions of the 18th century, and iconic models such as Tronchi, Rezzonico, and Ciocche. Alongside these historical references, there are also more minimal shapes that echo 20th-century Murano design.
Rather than focusing on single objects, the installation becomes a layered story of the Venetian chandelier, where different periods exist side by side like a temporary suspended museum.
These forms are part of Venice’s identity. Anyone who has visited the city will have seen them—often without even noticing: Murano chandeliers light up historic palaces, noble houses, hotels, museums, and many of the buildings open during the Biennale.
Walking through Venice, it is almost impossible not to come across one. Over time, they have become part of the city’s visual memory, alongside gondolas, canals, and the Gothic façades reflected on the water.
This familiarity is exactly what makes the work so effective. The viewer immediately recognizes the shape of a Murano chandelier, only to realize—on closer look—that glass has been replaced by something completely different: candy. The surprise comes from the contrast between what we expect and what we actually see.
A tradition that spans centuries
The history of Murano glass dates back to the late 13th century, when the Venetian Republic moved all glass furnaces to the island. Over time, master glassmakers refined increasingly complex techniques, creating a production that would attract the attention of European courts.
The Murano chandelier slowly became one of the clearest expressions of Venetian craftsmanship. Unlike in many other European countries, where chandeliers started as lighting objects and only later became decorative, in Venice they quickly turned into symbols of status and representation. Glass allowed a level of freedom that other materials could not offer: flowers, leaves, fruits, and curved shapes turned chandeliers into suspended artworks.
Between the 18th and 19th centuries, however, Venetian chandeliers began to engage with European trends. French and Bohemian chandeliers developed a different approach, based on cut crystal and the way it reflects light—more geometric and optical in character.
Murano glass, on the other hand, kept its sculptural language: glass is shaped while it is still hot, allowing for organic, expressive forms that are hard to achieve otherwise.
In the 20th century, chandelier design changed again. Alongside historical styles, more essential and modern interpretations appeared, where glass became lighter and began to interact with contemporary architecture and design.
When candies tells a story
If the shape belongs to Venetian tradition, the material chosen by Simone Post introduces a completely different meaning. Glass, associated with durability, craftsmanship, and permanence, is replaced by candy: fragile, temporary, and destined to melt.
The installation is part of the Still Joy project, in which artists respond to the testimony of a Ukrainian war veteran and former prisoner of war. During his imprisonment, after long periods of deprivation, a simple piece of chocolate gave him a brief but powerful moment of comfort, bringing back a sense of normal life and humanity.
For Simone Post, material is never just an aesthetic choice. Through careful combinations of unusual and often found materials, she creates installations that explore memory, emotion, and perception.
Candy fits perfectly into this approach. Unlike glass, which is made to last, candy is fragile, sensitive to heat, and will eventually melt or break down. Its glossy, translucent surface recalls Murano glass, but its nature is completely different: it is temporary and fragile.
This contrast is at the heart of the work. The strength of Murano tradition is replaced by a material that represents vulnerability and fragility, reinforcing the message of Still Joy: even the most meaningful moments can be short, without being any less important.
Candy becomes a symbol of fragile joy: intense, beautiful, and always destined to melt away.
The chandeliers as a contermporary artwork
In recent years, the Murano chandelier has become an increasingly present subject in contemporary art.
In 2018, the exhibition LUX-LUMEN, organized by the Berengo Foundation together with the Glass Art Society, invited international artists to reinterpret Murano glass through new ideas about light.
More recently, the project Murano Illumina il Mondo has explored the chandelier as a symbol that can speak to environmental, cultural, and social themes.
One of the most well-known examples is Murano Chandeliers by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, where glass is combined with large crochet textile elements, turning the chandelier into a monumental installation about identity, memory, and craftsmanship.
A tradition that continues to inspire
Contemporary reinterpretations do not replace tradition: they show how alive it is.
If artists from all over the world continue to use the Murano chandelier as a starting point, it is because this form has gone beyond decoration and become a global symbol of Venetian craftsmanship.
Simone Post’s work shows this clearly. By moving through the full history of the chandelier—from its Venetian origins to European influences and 20th-century design—it offers a fragile and unexpected version of it.
The material changes, the meaning shifts, and fragility takes over, but the chandelier remains instantly recognizable. It is a form that has crossed centuries without losing its identity.
And perhaps this is the real strength of Murano glass: its ability to stay in conversation with the present, inspiring artists, designers, and creators around the world. Because a tradition is truly alive only when it keeps being reinterpreted, without ever stopping its story.
Editor and Communication Manager: Serena Andreucci
Content Writer: Matilde Batistini, Serena Andreucci
