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CHEF stellato di Nerua, il ristorante del Guggenheim Museum di Bilbao.
Con un approccio innovativo, esplora sapori, colori e texture dei vegetali per scatenarne il potenziale, generando emozione
THE ART OF TASTE
Josean Alija by ALBERTO ZANETTI text by GABRIELE ZANATTA
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Ci sono cuochi felici di abitare il presente e quelli che lo fuggono appena svegli. I professionisti del noto e quelli dell’ignoto. Quelli che adorano friggere nelle tiepide correnti del mainstream e quelli che, piuttosto, si farebbero abbattere a -20 °C per essere rigenerati su un pianeta lontano. Nel panorama dell’alta cucina contemporanea, Josean Alija appartiene di certo al secondo sottoinsieme. È il circolo, molto più ridotto del primo, entro cui operano i cuochi realmente innovatori, quelli a loro agio solo fuori da ogni comfort zone. Non che “El Jefe”, classe 1978, non sia figlio del suo tempo: il ristorante Nerua conserva anzitutto nel nome – Nervia è l’antenato del Nervión, l’affluente che spacca in due Bilbao – tenaci tracce del passato. E lo schema principe della tradizione gastronomica bilbaina, che associa salse di verdura a tagli di carne o pesce, è rispettato ogni giorno dal 21 dicembre 1998, il primissimo ingresso del nostro cuoco tra le lastre in titanio del Gug-
genheim. Occorre però sottolineare la grande coerenza tra il museo più rivoluzionario degli ultimi 20 anni e la rivoluzione copernicana accesa dal ragazzo sugli ingredienti: il registro binario vegetale/pesce o carne è sì replicato ma ora le proteine animali si ritrovano quasi sempre confinate tra salse e brodi a dettare il ritmo di fondo del piatto. Nel mentre, sono le verdure a prendersi finalmente la scena madre, a ritagliarsi il ruolo di lead guitar dopo decenni (secoli, millenni) di confino nel regno del contorno e della sopportabilità. È la cifra stilistica più sorprendente di Alija, «Ben felice», racconta, di sviluppare la sua pasión especial su straordinari vegetali «per svilupparne il potenziale inespresso», un’esplorazione di «sapori, aromi, consistenze e colori» col fine ultimo di «generare emozioni nel commensale». Sono tutti piatti concepiti e sigillati in modo speciale. Il primo atto creativo inquadrerà ogni ingrediente in una prospettiva diversa: del caffè, per esempio, non inte-
resserà mai il chicco tostato ma la pianta da cui proviene (e infatti ne ricava uno spettacolare brodo verde). La mossa finale occulterà la grande tecnica dietro a un’apparente semplicità, a una bellezza tagliente e a un’ordinatissima anarchia cromatica di pochi ingredienti. Nella preparazione, tutti i grandi prodotti del circondario («Nell’arco di 15 chilometri ho tutto: il mare, la campagna, la montagna») saranno rispettati nel profondo, ma senza dogmi. La cipolla – quella rossa di Zalla, un gioiello in via d’estinzione – sarà cucinata confit e servita su un brodo di lenticchie verdi, uscendo così dall’invisibile tana aromatica di sempre, per vestire finalmente la fisicità dei suoi petali, al palato croccanti come il bacon. L’avocado, il frutto col più elevato contenuto di grassi che ci sia, (segue a pag. 317) (In questa pagina. Total look Boss. Scarpe Church’s. Nella pagina accanto. Total look Hermès. Groomer Amaia Lauzirika. Fashion editor Gaia Fraschini)
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Indirizzi/Segue STYLE/AMERICAN CLASSICS A.TESTONI www.testoni.com BOWLING DEI FIORI MILANO www.bowlingdeifiori.it BRIMARTS www.brimarts.it CARGO MILANO www.cargomilano.it DEDAR www.dedar.com DIOR HOMME www.dior.com HIGH TECH www.cargomilano.it NEW BALANCE www.newbalance.com O.X.S. www.oxs.it PIQUADRO www.piquadro.com SELETTI www.seletti.it VETRERIE DI EMPOLI www.vetreriediempoli.it ZARA HOME www.zarahome.com
MORESCHI www.moreschi.it RAY-BAN www.ray-ban.com SALA FRATELLI www.arredamentinavalimilano.com SERAPIAN MILANO www.serapian.com ZARA HOME www.zarahome.com FERDINANDO CITO FILOMARINO by Lorenzo Bringheli
NORMAN REEDUS by Eric Guillemain
RALPH LAUREN www.ralphlauren.com
INTERVIEW/BRETT MARTIN di Olivier Joyard
AGNÈS B. www.agnesb.com EDDIE BORGO www.eddieborgo.com JOHN VARVATOS www.johnvarvatos.com MELET MERCANTILE www.meletmercantile.com WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND www.whatgoesaroundnyc.com
LORENZO RICHELMY by Lorenzo Bringheli
(segue da pag. 56) come agitavamo il nostro uccello a destra e a manca. E questo ha portato a un’altra domanda: cosa significa essere maschi, che danni facciamo? Bastava trascorrere un po’ di tempo con David Chase o David Simon di “The wire” per accorgersi subito che parte di questo senso di ansia e difficoltà dei personaggi veniva dagli stessi autori». A sette anni dalla conclusione de “I Soprano”, con “Mad men” che termina la primavera prossima, Martin ritiene che l’ossessione per le serie Tv sia destinata a finire? «Sono propenso a pensare che ci troviamo di fronte a un cambiamento radicale. Ormai è un dato di fatto che le migliori storie per un pubblico adulto si trovano lì, in misura ancora maggiore dall’avvento dello streaming. In un mondo dalle infinite possibilità di scelta bisogna “esserci”. E gli autori, con la loro stessa esistenza, alimentano la speranza che l’età d’oro continuerà». Pur seguendo sempre serie come “Game of thrones”, Martin è ora completamente assorbito dalla sua grande passione per la gastronomia. «Nella cultura pop di oggi non esistono molti altri ambiti per cui entusiasmarsi come per la Tv, ma il cibo è sicuramente uno di questi. Il mio prossimo libro parla di chef. È un ritratto di gruppo con Daniel Boulud al centro che si intitola “Fuck you, eat this” e racconta la generazione che ha assistito alla trasformazione dei cuochi in artisti».
AGLINI www.aglini.com ANTONY MORATO www.morato.it BRUNELLO CUCINELLI www.brunellocucinelli.com GIVENCHY BY RICCARDO TISCI www.givenchy.com LUXURY COLLECTION BY PAUL & SHARK www.paulshark.it MASSAUA www.massaua.it MASSIMO REBECCHI www.massimorebecchi.it ROBERTO CAVALLI www.robertocavalli.com
LEVI DYLAN by Mason Poole
ANTIK ARTE E SCIENZA www.antik.it CARGO MILANO www.cargomilano.it COSTUME NATIONAL HOMME www.costumenational.com DEDAR www.dedar.com DSQUARED2 EYEWEAR BY MARCOLIN www.marcolin.com GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI DESIGN HOMME www.giuseppezanottidesign.com HIGH TECH www.cargomilano.it LANVIN www.lanvin.com LO SPERONE - ARTICOLI PER EQUITAZIONE www.losperoneonline.it MINORONZONI 1953 www.minoronzoni1953.it PANIZZA www.panizza1879.com SAINT LAURENT BY HEDI SLIMANE www.ysl.com SANTONI www.santonishoes.com TENDER DIFFUSION www.tenderdiffusion.it VETRERIE DI EMPOLI www.vetreriediempoli.it ZARA HOME www.zarahome.com
DANE DEHAAN by Caitlin Cronenberg
AGENT PROVOCATEUR www.agentprovocateur.com CASADEI www.casadei.com DSQUARED2 www.dsquared2.com GIVENCHY BY RICCARDO TISCI www.givenchy.com GUCCI www.gucci.com KURT GEIGER www.kurtgeiger.com LOREE RODKIN www.loreerodkin.com PHILIPP PLEIN www.philipp-plein.com VALENTINO www.valentino.com
STYLE/ACCESSORI PREZIOSI
BOSS www.hugoboss.com CHURCH’S www.church-footwear.com HERMÈS www.hermes.com
STYLE/GO WEST
ANTIK ARTE E SCIENZA www.antik.it ATLANTA MOCASSIN www.atlantamocassin.com BALLY www.bally.com CARGO MILANO www.cargomilano.it CASTORI www.castori.it DEDAR www.dedar.com DOLCE & GABBANA www.dolcegabbana.com GUCCI www.gucci.com HIGH TECH www.cargomilano.it MICHEL LEO www.michelleo.it
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN www.alexandermcqueen.com BALENCIAGA www.balenciaga.com DOLCE & GABBANA www.dolcegabbana.com ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA COUTURE www.zegna.com LANVIN www.lanvin.com NEIL BARRETT www.neilbarrett.com PHILIPP PLEIN www.philipp-plein.com PORTS 1961 www.ports1961.com SAINT LAURENT BY HEDI SLIMANE www.ysl.com SOTA FUKUSHI by Hirohisa Nakano DIOR HOMME www.dior.com PRADA www.prada.com JOSEAN ALIJA by Alberto Zanetti
JONATHAN GROFF by Alessio Boni BOSS www.hugoboss.com CALVIN KLEIN www.calvinklein.com CORNELIANI www.corneliani.com ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA COUTURE www.zegna.com JOHN VARVATOS www.johnvarvatos.com MICHAEL KORS www.michaelkors.com
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DOLCE & GABBANA www.dolcegabbana.com DRIES VAN NOTEN www.driesvannoten.be JACOB COHËN www.jacobcohen.it PAUL SMITH www.paulsmith.co.uk SAINT LAURENT BY HEDI SLIMANE www.ysl.com CIARA by Francesco Carrozzini
CHRIST & GANTENBEIN by Markus Jans BERLUTI www.berluti.com BOGLIOLI www.boglioli.it DOLCE & GABBANA www.dolcegabbana.com DRIES VAN NOTEN www.driesvannoten.be DSQUARED2 www.dsquared2.com FAÇONNABLE www.faconnable.com PASHMERE www.pashmere.it PHILIPP PLEIN www.philipp-plein.com RALPH LAUREN www.ralphlauren.com ROLEX www.rolex.com TOM FORD www.tomford.com VALENTINO www.valentino.com XACUS www.xacus.com XANDER PARISH by Valery Katsuba PRADA www.prada.com
BORSALINO www.borsalino.com BOTTEGA VENETA www.bottegaveneta.com BRIONI www.brioni.com CB MADE IN ITALY www.cbmadeinitaly.com GIORGIO ARMANI www.armani.com LANVIN www.lanvin.com JOEL KINNAMAN by Mason Poole BOSS www.hugoboss.com FAÇONNABLE www.faconnable.com GIORGIO ARMANI www.armani.com WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND www.whatgoesaroundnyc.com ALAIN-FABIEN DELON by Cameron McCool BURBERRY PRORSUM www.burberry.com ETRO www.etro.com LOUIS VUITTON www.louisvuitton.com VERSACE www.versace.com GOSHKA MACUGA by Boo George LOEWE www.loewe.com PRADA www.prada.com JAMES RICHARDS by Peter Ash Lee PAUL SMITH www.paulsmith.co.uk ED SKREIN by Cameron McCool BALLY www.bally.com BURBERRY PRORSUM www.burberry.com CERRUTI 1881 PARIS www.cerruti.com DIESEL BLACK GOLD www.dieselblackgold.com DORIA 1905 www.doria1905.com ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA COUTURE www.zegna.com ETRO www.etro.com FALKE www.falke.com PAUL SMITH www.paulsmith.co.uk SALVATORE FERRAGAMO www.ferragamo.com
GOURMET/MIX di Laura Lazzaroni (segue da pag. 96) poi disossiamo e mettiamo sottovuoto». Una domanda sul dry aging suscita una risposta netta: «Non condivido le muffe: la carica batterica è talmente alta che rischia di contaminare tutta la cella». Torniamo al piano di sopra, dove ci aspetta Giorgio. Giorgio è il riflessivo, il burbero riformato («Da quando è arrivata la stella lo si vede di più in sala», conferma Gian Pietro, «si sta facendo forza per vincere la sua natura di orso – e menomale, perché non è giusto che compaia solo io!»). Gian Pietro è il mattatore: accogliente e pragmatico, scherza senza mai perdere il polso del negozio. «Ti chiedo scusa in anticipo se mentre parliamo non ti guarderò sempre in faccia, ma devo star dietro a tutto», aveva esordito al mio arrivo. Ora sono seduti vicini. Ripercorriamo i piatti del degustazione: le lumache al verde; la galletta di riso giallo, baccalà mantecato e cavolo nero; un manzo al vapore con crema di carbonara, misticanza e patate al prezzemolo che poteva anche accompagnarsi a due foglioline appena condite, tanto era delicato. Una cucina «di territorio e di pulizia», così la descrive Giorgio. Ricorda che all’inizio c’erano solo tre tavoli. «La clientela cresce con noi. Chiedono la battuta, non la tartare. E sanno che qui non si mangiano tagliata, costata o filetto (li possono, però, acquistare al banco); qui vengono per il Damburger, per lo spezzatino di ossobuco, lo stracotto, il bollito; non amano molto le frattaglie, ma si fanno guidare». Insieme al fratello ha tanta voglia di crescere ancora (sa per esempio che il pane è un punto debole,
sorride e dice «ci stiamo lavorando») e sogna un secondo locale dove a essere potenziata sia la ristorazione, in una città come Venezia. Racconta di amare la tapioca, che usa in certi piatti, e i sapori tailandesi. «È il ristorante a essere cresciuto di più, negli ultimi tempi, e la stella ha accelerato il processo: tanti clienti nuovi, e hanno voglia di sperimentare. Ma procediamo per gradi. Intanto penseremo ad allargare la cucina qui: poi si vedrà». TOMASZ GUDZOWATY di Michele Fossi (segue da pag. 241) sotto il profilo estetico che della composizione, io e mia moglie – che in questo progetto è partner al 50% e non solo modella – abbiamo voluto rappresentare le peculiarità dei pianeti del sistema solare. Parlo di caratteristiche morfologiche e mitologiche. In ognuno vedremo una figura femminile (interpretata da Melody) posare al centro di paesaggi primigeni e incontaminati, affiancata non di rado da animali selvatici di cui non sembra temere la ferocia. Fotografie che, attraverso il loro potere evocativo, spero suscitino nello spettatore la consapevolezza che non siamo gli unici abitanti della terra, e che la ricerca di una nuova armonia con la natura è non solo quanto mai urgente e necessaria, ma anche possibile. Il tutto – questo almeno il tentativo – senza mai scadere nel didascalico: l’arte è una maestra straordinaria, ma solo quando educa indirettamente, attraverso allusioni e associazioni, stimolando l’immaginazione. Se sale in cattedra a lanciare sermoni, solitamente fallisce». JOSEAN ALIJA di Gabriele Zanatta (segue da pag. 247) sarà cotto al vapore e unito a un brodo di alga acidulato per dar forma a un tracotante foie gras vegetale. E ognuno dei pomodori del “tomates en salsa” – il suo piatto firma, uno dei più celebri nel panorama mondiale dell’ultimo decennio – esploderà tra le fauci in uno spiazzante tripudio di aromi ben distinti. In questo sforzo immenso, Alija è assistito da una poesia interiore che filtra ai suoi occhi un mondo diverso, certamente più colorato. Ma lo aiutano anche un palato incredibile (che ha dovuto ri-tarare dopo un serio incidente automobilistico); l’entusiasmo dei ragazzi, una brigata dall’età media sorprendentemente bassa e l’utilizzo di una serie di tecnologie che intervengono a ogni livello del ristorante (la cucina, per dirne una, distingue tre sistemi di climatizzazione verticale: piatti freddi, piatti caldi e pasticceria). Come tutti i cuochi che vivono al margine delle tendenze, Josean non è aiutato dai favori universali della critica. È incredibile, per esempio, che le stelle Michelin del Nerua siano una e non tre (peraltro quell’unica fu assegnata molto tardivamente, nel 2011). Di certo, non lo sentirete mai crucciarsi per questo. Nemmeno se il riconoscimento non dovesse arrivare nei prossimi 10 anni. «Nel 2025», s’illumina al finale il cuoco, «vorrei solo cucinare con le stesse illusioni di oggi. Godere di scoperte sempre nuove per poterle condividere».
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Segue/English centrated with my feet firmly on the ground. I’ve got a travelling kit, stuff I always take with me when work makes me travel». When he’s not on the green he dabbles with music, a passion that lead him to act in Metallica’s film/concert “Through the never” and, more recently, in the video “I bet my life” by the American band Imagine Dragons. But he assures us he doesn’t have the rocker kind of velleity like his colleague Jared Leto or the more mature ones like Keanu Reeves, Russell Crowe or Kevin Costner. «I play a bit of guitar, nothing more. I like old style rock, the Bob Dylan sort, music that makes me feel good». In an era where celebrity is everything, Dane lives his life as the antistar: «The positive side is that I can do the things I like best, like acting». Child prodigy, after graduating from the North Carolina School of Arts, he moved to New York where he successfully debuted in Broadway theatres (although he claims he isn’t good enough for the theatre), and got a Obie Award for his interpretation of the lonely student Evan Shelmerdine in the production of Annie Baker’s “The Aliens”. Among Dane’s future projects, the new film “Tulip fever”, set in 17th century Amsterdam based on a novel by Deborah Moggach, with Judi Dench directed by Justin Chadwick, scheduled for release in the spring. TOMASZ GUDZOWATY by Michele Fossi He became famous and won a World Press Photo Award in 1999 thanks to a black and white photo entitled “First Lesson of Killing” that gave the world a tender image of cheetah cubs, uncertain about what to do with their first prey. Afterwards, he took nine first prizes in the most prestigious photo journalist competitions. Today, Tomasz Gudzowaty, who was born in 1971 and has a law degree, can be considered the most famous Polish photo reporter on the international circuit. «My objective, with this and with other photos of wild animals, has never been to capture the beauty of the animal in its natural habitat, but to highlight the instincts that control its behavior», he explains. «I use a visual art such as photography to narrate the invisible». It is an ambitious photo journalism concept that, combined with a maniacal attention to detail and an almost pathological form of nomadism (he has traveled to over 100 countries in his career), makes his work very similar to that of Sebastião Salgado. In fact, Gudzowaty mentions Salgado as one of his main points of reference. «I find many elements of my work in Salgado’s, particularly the stubbornness with which he pursues his research for extremely long periods in an attempt to capture the essence of reality, never settling for the immediate, but also temporary, gratification of a “nice article”. His obstinacy spurs him, like me, to be an untiring traveler in the perpetual search of photographs full of meaning that were conceived to last over time». A good example of his obsessive modus operandi is the “Sports Features” project (recently rechristened “Beyond the Body”), dedicated to less commercial, ethnic sports to which the Polish photographer owes many of his World Press Photo Awards: inau-
gurated in 2003 with a photo spread on the kung fu battles of monks in the temple of Shaolin, China, eleven years later this project is far from being terminated. «Once again, I wanted to capture that ineffable essence which is invisible to the eye but not to the camera lens: in this case, the most transcendental and metaphysical element of sports», he says. «And I found it far from the noisy stadiums: for example, in the sumo centers of Tokyo, in traditional Indian gyms or at the naghol festival in Vanuatu. Frequently, this maniacal search has brought me to isolated and forgotten communities on the edges of the earth, where sport has a profound and total purpose, such as seeking one’s inner spirit and attempting to live in harmony with the universe». Besides his work doing portraits with a sports theme, Gudzowaty also became interested in exposé photo reporting: in 2005 he won the Pictures of the Year International Award for the “Shipwreckers” series that showed the world the inhuman working conditions of outcasts who earned a meager living by dismantling wrecked ships in the infernal shipyards of Chittagong in Bangladesh. He inherited his social commitment from his father, an industrial tycoon and one of Poland’s most famous philanthropists who is also a part of “Planets Alive”, the new and ambitious project that Gudzowaty has been promoting for the past two years with his wife Melody, and that will be presented in May at the Photo Pavilion during Expo Milano 2015. «This pavilion will celebrate the use of photography for the common good», explains Gudzowaty, who recently declared that he will be offering his talent to the World Food Programme of the United Nations in its fight for social justice and sustainability. «With these color photos, which are among the most elaborate of my career in terms of aesthetics and composition, my wife – who is a co-partner in this project and not just a model – and I wanted to represent the peculiarities of the planets in the solar system. I’m talking about the morphological and mythological characteristics. In each we will see a feminine figure (interpreted by Melody) posing at the center of primordial, uncontaminated landscapes, often joined by wild animals whose ferocity she apparently does not fear. Through their evocative power, I hope that these photographs will trigger within the viewer the awareness that we are not the only inhabitants of the earth and that the search for new harmony with nature is not just urgent and necessary, but also possible. We also seek to do this without being didactic: art is an extraordinary teacher but only when it educates indirectly, through allusions and associations, and by stimulating the imagination. If it takes the podium and starts preaching, it usually fails». THE ART OF TASTE JOSEAN ALIJA by Gabriele Zanatta There are chefs happy to live the present and those who flee it barely awake. Professionals of the known and those of the unknown. Those who love to fritter in the warm currents of the mainstream and those who would rather hibernate at -20 °C to be thawed out
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on distant planet. In the circle of contemporary haut cuisine, Josean Alija certainly belongs to the latter subgroup. This is the circle, very much smaller than it once was, in which the truly innovative chefs operate, the ones that only feel right a long way from any comfort zone. It’s not that el jefe, class of 1978, isn’t a child of his times: in its name, Nerua, from Nervia the river that splits the city of Bilbao in two, the restaurant conserves tenacious traces of the past. And the precepts of Bilbaoan gastronomic tradition, which combines vegetable sauces with cuts of meat and fish, have been respected here every day since the 21st of December 1998, the debut of our chef amidst the titanium sheets of the Guggenheim. And there are more than a few parallels between the most revolutionary gallery designed in the last 20 years and the Copernican revolution ignited by our young chef in his ingredients: the vegetable/fish or meat combination continues but now the animal proteins are confined amongst the sauces and broths that dictate the fundamental rhythm of the dishes. In the meantime, the greens finally take centre stage, cutting themselves the role of lead guitar after decades (centuries, millennia) of being confined to side plates and bare tolerability. It’s the most unusual stylistic cipher of Alija, «perfectly happy», as he tells Uomo Vogue, to develop his pasión especial on extraordinary vegetables «to bring out their unexpressed potential», an exploration of «flavours, aromas, consistencies and colours» with the final aim of «firing emotions in my clients». All the dishes are conceived and signed in some special way. The first creative act sets each ingredient in a different perspective: the coffee, for example, is never concerned with the toasted bean but rather the bush it came from (and indeed creates a spectacular green broth). The final touches veil great technique behind an apparent simplicity, an incisive beauty and a highly ordered chromatic anarchy of few ingredients. In the preparation, all the beautiful produce of the district («I’ve got everything in a radius of 15 kilometres: the sea, the countryside and the mountains») is deeply respected, but without dogma. The Onion – the red variety from Zalla, a jewel in danger of extinction – is cooked confit and served on a broth of green lentils, escaping the invisible aromatic den it’s always hidden in to finally adorn the physicality of its petals, crisp as bacon to the palate. Avocado, the fruit with the highest fat content of all, is steamed and combined with a broth of acidulated algae to give form to a masterful vegetable foie gras. And each of the tomatoes in the tomates en salsa – his signature dish and one of the most celebrated on the world panorama over the last decade – explodes in the mouth in a disorienting jubilation of distinctive flavours. In this immense effort, Alija is assisted by an internal poetry that filters a different, certainly more colourful world, through his eyes. But he’s also aided by an incredible palate (that he had to “recalibrate” after a serious car accident), the enthusiasm of his team, a crew with a surprisingly low average age, and some serious technology installed at all levels of the restaurant (the kitchen, to give but one example, has 3 distinct vertical air-conditioning systems: for cold plates, hot plates and pastries).
Like all chefs who live on the margins of trend, Josean doesn’t enjoy universal acclaim from the critics. It’s incredible, for example, that Nerua has only one Michelin star and not 3 (and that single star was awarded very late on, in 2011). But you won’t hear him complaining about that. Not even if this accolade weren’t to arrive for another 10 years. «In 2025», he says, «all I want is to be cooking with the same illusions I have today. Making new discoveries to be able to share them». TRUE STAR CIARA by Alessandra Venezia Ciara comes in and shakes my hand. She is magnificent: tall and slim, long jet black hair, eyes like a Byzantine Madonna, perfect complexion. Without a trace of make-up, she is wearing a long men’s t-shirt and a pair of spotless white high-top sneakers. Whenever you meet a celebrity for the first time you never know what to expect: on screen or in glossy magazines they appear beautiful, mysterious, with a magnetic sensuality. Then when you meet them in person, they turn out to be just pretty girls. Ciara is different. The more you look at her, the more beautiful she is. What is most striking is her inexhaustible energy. Before the interview with the R&Bpop singer, dancer, producer, model and actress (she has made three films, and appeared in the TV series “The Game”), I listened to a dozen of her songs and watched around fifteen of her videos on YouTube. In black and white or in colour, performing rap or hip hop, strutting and winking, she is the all-consuming femme fatale. Twisting and writhing, she skims the floor and soars through the air like a sequence from “Matrix”. She pays tribute to Michael Jackson – in white top and skinny black jeans – repeating his dance steps, and the public goes wild. Aggressively sexy, in “Ride” she straddles an imposing buffalo. With no inhibitions. Ciara Princess Harris, known simply as Ciara (pronounced See-erruh) began writing songs at the age of 13. Today, at 29, with five albums and sales of seven million disks to her name, she is one of the veterans of the music industry. She has worked with legendary producers (Luke Boy, Polow Da Don), top musicians (Pharrell, will.i.am) and bestselling pop artists (Ludacris, Nicki Minaj, Missy Elliott and Justin Timberlake). Her videos are explicitly naughty and daring. The basic ingredients are a rap background, luxury car, high top sneakers, furs, and lots of sex – suggested, imagined, provoked, consumed. Her goal is to show it, simulate it, joke about it, celebrate it, and above all sing and dance about it. «I love to express my sensuality, it makes me feel good. I think that goes for all women, we all want to express our sexuality. It is a form of power, it makes you feel self assured, in control. Every woman wants to feel sexy, and I like to play with hints and suggestions, turn it into a performance». In this she succeeds like few others. To get an idea, go and watch her video “Ride”. For Ciara, sexuality is a form of empowerment, and her idols are all world famous alpha-females like Missy Elliott, Madonna and Oprah. But her real god is Michael Jackson, «the most important world
presence in the history of music». I am curious about her history. Born in Texas, to Austin, Ciara comes from a military family, her father from New York, her mother from Atlanta. «I’m a real military brat, an only child, brought up at different army bases, a little here, a little there: Germany, Arizona, Georgia and California. I learned early on how to adapt to new places, make new friends, and start over. It came in handy later on, when I was away from home on tour for months on end. But my roots are in Atlanta where I have my home and my family. I’m a Georgia Peach. That’s what they call Atlanta girls», she laughs. From her father she learned discipline, and to be organized, punctual and never lazy. She started working when she was very little. «I’ve been dancing since I could walk, and singing since I could talk. I’ve always had a total, absolute relationship with music. I always knew what I wanted to do with my life, that I had something special in me, a God-given gift». You could even say that her first professional encounter came by the grace of God. «I always believed in the power of convictions, and words. I talked music with everyone, with nothing particular in mind. Then one day they asked me if I wanted to do an audition for a band. That same evening I went along with my mother, and they hired me». A year later Ciara began her solo career. At 15 she was writing songs and signed her first contract. And she never looked back. I ask her about her relationships with men. It can’t be easy for a woman in the male-dominated music industry. «I’ve always been strong. I learned early on how to deal with men. For them interaction is based on looks. That’s the first thing they are interested in, so you have to learn right away to win their respect». She made her debut album “Goodies” when she was 19, aimed at girls her own age (“don’t treat me like an object, or you will never have me”). With “Like a Boy”, a few years later, she reaffirmed her independence as a young woman in the male world of rap and hip hop (“come on girl, do like he does…”). She is currently finishing her sixth album (it has no title yet), due out in spring. «It will be an authentic album, real. I talk openly and honestly about my emotions as a woman, mother, about my ambitions, but also my vulnerability, my happy moments and my sad moments». She pauses. «You know, now that I have Future (Future Zahir Wilburn) with me, my angel, I am happy». Then a surprise: Ciara wells up with tears as she talks about her seven months’ old child from a relationship with rapper Future, and shows me photos of him on Instagram. «For him I want to be the best mother in the world, and also the best business woman. I want to realize all my ambitions, and I know deep down in my heart that I will. I want to be very rich, because that’s the only way I will be able to do everything I want to». Ciara has big plans for the future: one day she wants to be considered the top entertainer of all time, inspire other young women, and do charity work for children. «My dream is to have homes all over the world, and continue to take on new ventures. After all», she says seriously, as she pokes another forkful of broccoli, «who said there was no room in this world for another Oprah?».
VOICE FOR MY FATHER MICHAEL CHOW by Franca Sozzani “Mr Chow” is Michael Chow, proprietor of the famous Mr Chow restaurants in London, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Malibu. Michael is a restaurateur, interior designer, architect, artist and collector. «I am a product of art on my father’s side, and of business on my mother’s». His father, Zhou Xinfang, was a “national treasure of China”, a legendary actor, acclaimed idol and singer at the Beijing Opera; the most famous in China. «My father was an actor, dancer, singer and performer in any art form. He would do nine performances a week. Theatre was everything for him; it was his passion. He was one of the most important actors of the 20th century», and his fame was such that, even today, the words “like Zhou Xinfang” are used to define a great talent. «I have loved opera too, ever since I was a small child. Under his influence, I too wanted to become an actor, and a singer at the Beijing Opera. My father’s body language and his talents were absolutely unique. I admired him greatly but I didn’t see much of him. My greatest treasure was when I got to spend two weeks of quality time with him, just the two of us». He has a brother and four sisters, one of whom, actress Tsai Chin, has been a Bond girl. His mother, who came from a prosperous family and was a quarter Scottish, was from a family of tea merchants. In her early 20’s, she was practical and combative on the human rights front. His father dedicated his life to righting political injustice through his written plays and performances. It was his mother who sent Michael to boarding school in London at the age of 12. «I felt emptied in the West. I didn’t have any of the smells of my childhood. In China, as the son of Zhou Xinfang, I was extremely spoiled. Abroad, I have always wanted to show how important my father was, and Mr Chow, my first restaurant, also marked the first step in promoting real Chinese culture and to bridge the East and West. Until then, I felt myself to be only half Chinese. My father suffered because of his role as actor and opposer; this is why I dedicated myself, body and soul to showing how great China and its people are. Mr Chow became my theatre, my way of acting. I asked various artists to produce paintings for the restaurant. Peter Blake was the first. This was the first of a series of portraits by artists – from Warhol to David Hockney and Basquiat – who would all subsequently become important. Mr Chow is not just a restaurant: I see it as a performance, for its music, the public, the atmosphere. Those who come here can enjoy a different experience». Michael Chow recalls: «I frequented the Central Saint Martins; I wanted to become an artist, but it wasn’t easy. For ten years, I painted, but then I dropped everything and decided to continue with my other passion, architecture. Even now, I think that the start of everything derives from an injustice, which I inherited from my father. And here, I see my father again, who fought so hard against injustice. In this case, it’s the perceived view of the Chinese. Everyone thinks ill of them, so I wanted to offer the world “the chicest way of China”. I asked Cy Twombly to draw the logo. You
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