Curatorial Notes

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Fondazione Marta Czok Venice is pleased to present, from December 4 to 14, 2025, the continuous screening of the short film “Venezia Segreta: the Squero of Sant’Isepo.” The film will be shown throughout the opening hours of the exhibition currently on view, “Marta Czok – ARCHĪVUM VR Edition,” immersing the viewer into the most authentic soul of the lagoon city.

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Directed by Michele Barca (The Fire at La Fenice broadcast on the History Channel, Vajont: the Image of Horror…), the documentary provides an insight into one of Venice’s most precious and hidden treasures: the squero of Sant’Isepo, a place suspended in time where the ancient art of building traditional boats continues to survive against all odds. Entering this building is a leap into a distant past, when the squero was donated nearly two centuries ago to the Mutual Aid Society of Carpenters and Caulkers by engineer Giuseppe Tonello, who also owned the San Marco Shipyard in Trieste.

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The Society took this precious donation so seriously that it continues to manage and sustain the activity to this day. Despite pressures in recent decades for a radical transformation of the squero to better suit the demands of overtourism, it has resisted, preserving the dignity that has seen it create works of art that glide over the water since the year 1300. It also proudly maintains its original structure, divided into the large and small squero, welcoming students from the nearby nautical institute, and continuing to shape gondolas, sandali, mascarete, and puparini. Every boat born here is a fragment of history, an act of love toward the lagoon, and a testament to the creativity of Venetian master shipwrights, considered among the finest in the world.

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The film leads us into the heart of the Castello sestiere, an ancient district where the city of Venice was born and where some of its ancient traditions still survive. In an intricate maze of calli and campielli, where laundry hangs from ropes on pulleys, we follow the story of two tourists who, guided by curiosity, lose themselves among narrow streets and surprising views, until they discover the quiet power of the squero and the patient rhythm of the work carried out within it.

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Through the documentary, Foundazione Marta Czok renews its commitment to the protection and promotion of Venetian culture. Venice is not just a city: it is a living, fragile and precious tradition, and places like the squero of Sant’Isepo are the last strongholds of knowledge the world cannot afford to lose. It is therefore an invitation to enter the Foundation and immerse oneself in a setting rich in history and art, where the viewer looks, listens, admires and participates in a spectacle that blends history with the evocative imagery flowing from Marta Czok’s brushstrokes—an immersive experience that offers powerful emotions.

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