2025
OF FLÂNERIE
WE NAVIGATE STORIES
THAT MATTER
THAT MATTER
IN CONVERSATION WITH VITTORIA DI SAVOIA
In June, LA DÉRIVE crossed paths with Vittoria di Savoia in a moment of creative convergence : an exchange rooted in a shared belief in the transformative force of art. As an emerging curator and multidisciplinary artist, Vittoria articulates her vision with clarity and purpose: championing new voices, cultivating inclusive spaces, and forging emotional resonance between artwork and audience.
In this conversation, she shares the story behind her curatorial vision, her relationship to different artistic mediums, and the driving force behind her upcoming projects.
In this conversation, she shares the story behind her curatorial vision, her relationship to different artistic mediums, and the driving force behind her upcoming projects.
What first drew you into the art world?
VS : Art has always been part of my life. My father, although not an art dealer, always had an eye on emerging artists, he would follow their work with such admiration. My mother is an actress, so I grew up surrounded by artists and creative energy. I’ve always felt at home in that world.
There’s this memory I have from MoMA in New York. I was very young, and there was this painting that completely captivated me. When my parents tried to move on, I refused and I threw a fit. I just couldn’t leave it. That was the first time I realized how deeply I connected with visual art.
Did you study art formally?
VS : No, my academic path didn’t follow a traditional art curriculum. But I’ve always had a visual instinct. In London, I was constantly drawing, taking photographs, just observing and creating. That part of me was always there.
But it was really my internship at Thaddaeus Ropac that solidified things. I had the chance to work closely with artists, and something just clicked. That direct dialogue, understanding their message, their process, it felt vital. Thaddaeus became a mentor, and that experience gave me the courage to see this as my path.
You work across cinema, fashion, and curation. Is there one medium you feel most connected to?
VS : Honestly, they each bring something different. Fashion has been a way to make projects happen ; modeling actually helped me fund my first curated exhibition, which launched back in September at the Pierre Cardin’s Palais Bulles.
On another end, cinema is a passion. My mother’s an actress, and while I used to fear the comparison, I knew around eighteen that it was something I wanted to pursue on my own terms. I started taking theatre classes in London, quietly, at first without even telling my family. More recently, I’ve had the chance of embarking on stimulating acting projects, and I’m finding much fulfillment through acting for the screen. Let’s say that long term, I hope to use the visibility from an acting career to further support emerging art. It’s all connected for me, like different tools for the same mission.
Tell us more about that mission. What does curation mean to you?
VS: Curation, for me, is deeply emotional. I don’t approach it with a strict framework or commercial mindset. It starts with a feeling; something that resonates, that moves me. That’s what drives me to want to share the work with others, building on the human connection to art.
VS : Art has always been part of my life. My father, although not an art dealer, always had an eye on emerging artists, he would follow their work with such admiration. My mother is an actress, so I grew up surrounded by artists and creative energy. I’ve always felt at home in that world.
There’s this memory I have from MoMA in New York. I was very young, and there was this painting that completely captivated me. When my parents tried to move on, I refused and I threw a fit. I just couldn’t leave it. That was the first time I realized how deeply I connected with visual art.
Did you study art formally?
VS : No, my academic path didn’t follow a traditional art curriculum. But I’ve always had a visual instinct. In London, I was constantly drawing, taking photographs, just observing and creating. That part of me was always there.
But it was really my internship at Thaddaeus Ropac that solidified things. I had the chance to work closely with artists, and something just clicked. That direct dialogue, understanding their message, their process, it felt vital. Thaddaeus became a mentor, and that experience gave me the courage to see this as my path.
You work across cinema, fashion, and curation. Is there one medium you feel most connected to?
VS : Honestly, they each bring something different. Fashion has been a way to make projects happen ; modeling actually helped me fund my first curated exhibition, which launched back in September at the Pierre Cardin’s Palais Bulles.
On another end, cinema is a passion. My mother’s an actress, and while I used to fear the comparison, I knew around eighteen that it was something I wanted to pursue on my own terms. I started taking theatre classes in London, quietly, at first without even telling my family. More recently, I’ve had the chance of embarking on stimulating acting projects, and I’m finding much fulfillment through acting for the screen. Let’s say that long term, I hope to use the visibility from an acting career to further support emerging art. It’s all connected for me, like different tools for the same mission.
Tell us more about that mission. What does curation mean to you?
VS: Curation, for me, is deeply emotional. I don’t approach it with a strict framework or commercial mindset. It starts with a feeling; something that resonates, that moves me. That’s what drives me to want to share the work with others, building on the human connection to art.
In September of 2024, you curated your first exhibition at Pierre Cardin’s Palais Bulles featuring emerging artist Leo Kpodzro’s work. What struck you most about this first project ?
VS : For my first exhibition, I did everything myself, from vision to logistics. I didn’t even tell my family at first. Of course, I faced challenges; especially as a young woman stepping into this space : many people don’t take you seriously. But it only takes a few reliable ones to make things work, and we truly believed in this expo and the artist’s vision.
In retrospect, that project taught me a lot about the balance between curatorial vision and the artist’s voice. Ultimately, that is the relationship that matters most. I am glad to say that Morpho Genese was a definite stepping stone for both me and Leo Kpodzro, now exhibited at Galerie Obadia in Brussels.
Envisioning a dream project, what would that look like ?
VS : It’s a long-term dream, but I hope to open an art centre in Paris. I’d love to create a space dedicated to emerging artists, a centre with monthly exhibitions, an open-access library for students and professionals, public talks, and a quarterly grant to help artists realize new projects.
The goal is to democratize not just access to art, but also access to making art. To give people the tools, the space, the recognition they need to grow. I want it to be a meeting point for artists, audiences, and cultural workers: a place of true exchange.
@vittoria.disavoia
@curated.byvittoriadisavoia
@leokpodzro
@galerieobadia
VS : For my first exhibition, I did everything myself, from vision to logistics. I didn’t even tell my family at first. Of course, I faced challenges; especially as a young woman stepping into this space : many people don’t take you seriously. But it only takes a few reliable ones to make things work, and we truly believed in this expo and the artist’s vision.
In retrospect, that project taught me a lot about the balance between curatorial vision and the artist’s voice. Ultimately, that is the relationship that matters most. I am glad to say that Morpho Genese was a definite stepping stone for both me and Leo Kpodzro, now exhibited at Galerie Obadia in Brussels.
Envisioning a dream project, what would that look like ?
VS : It’s a long-term dream, but I hope to open an art centre in Paris. I’d love to create a space dedicated to emerging artists, a centre with monthly exhibitions, an open-access library for students and professionals, public talks, and a quarterly grant to help artists realize new projects.
The goal is to democratize not just access to art, but also access to making art. To give people the tools, the space, the recognition they need to grow. I want it to be a meeting point for artists, audiences, and cultural workers: a place of true exchange.
@vittoria.disavoia
@curated.byvittoriadisavoia
@leokpodzro
@galerieobadia
And could you tell me about something you’re currently working on?
VS : Right now, I’m working on a short-term project at Silencio Club in Paris: a performative reading of Patti Smith’s Just Kids. It’s a response to what I see as a disconnect in our generation; a lost appetite for literature, for slow reflection. I wanted to create a moment where text, movement, and sound come together to offer something intimate and emotional. The reading will be accompanied by emerging dancers and musicians, forming a hybrid experience that invites the audience into a sensorial space of shared meaning.
I believe Silencio represents what we could call a ‘third space’ ; not quite institutional nor fully underground, where community-driven initiatives can truly exist. For me, this is about reintroducing a spirit of collectivity and building cultural rituals that actually feel alive. Ultimately, I want to create the conditions for a living, breathing dialogue between art and audience.
VS : Right now, I’m working on a short-term project at Silencio Club in Paris: a performative reading of Patti Smith’s Just Kids. It’s a response to what I see as a disconnect in our generation; a lost appetite for literature, for slow reflection. I wanted to create a moment where text, movement, and sound come together to offer something intimate and emotional. The reading will be accompanied by emerging dancers and musicians, forming a hybrid experience that invites the audience into a sensorial space of shared meaning.
I believe Silencio represents what we could call a ‘third space’ ; not quite institutional nor fully underground, where community-driven initiatives can truly exist. For me, this is about reintroducing a spirit of collectivity and building cultural rituals that actually feel alive. Ultimately, I want to create the conditions for a living, breathing dialogue between art and audience.
As she speaks, it’s hard not to picture the velvet-lit interior of Silencio, a space inspired by David Lynch - where art, memory, and mystery seem to bleed into one another. It’s a fitting backdrop for a project honouring a timeless piece such as Just Kids: a testament to chosen family, artistic resilience, and becoming. In many ways, Vittoria’s hybrid reading feels like a continuation of that ethos: a tribute to Patti Smith’s legacy, yes, but also a quiet reclamation of slowness, sensitivity, and collective presence in cultural moments.
photo credits : @theolefoll
VS: I recognize the sensitivities of many different mediums, but there’s something about painting that feels irreplaceable. Unlike photography or cinema, it can’t be endlessly reproduced. There’s an intimacy, a fragility, a singular presence in a painting.
Even the greatest directors draw from painting, it’s such a foundational visual language. To me, it holds a kind of human truth that’s difficult to replicate elsewhere. It’s timeless in its stillness.
How do you see your role in the art world ? A curator, artist, or something in between?
VS: I see myself as a translator. I’m here to give voice to artists who have something to say; to hold space for their work, and to make sure it’s seen, felt, and understood.
It’s never been about sales or status for me. It’s about people. About what art allows us to feel, question, and pass on.
To close our conversation, I asked Vittoria to share her current expo coup de cœur. Without hesitation, she cited L’image comme engagement, the striking retrospective of photojournalist Marie-Laure de Decker at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie. For her, the exhibition’s raw visual intensity and political depth serve as a poignant reminder of the power of images to bear witness, provoke, and endure. It’s a fitting choice; reflecting not only Vittoria’s curatorial sensibility but also her deep-seated belief in art as a form of engagement with the world.
Vittoria di Savoia & Leo Kpodzro