Cross-cultural: The New VO+ January 2022 Issue

Finding the right words to briefly summarize the content that features in a single issue of the journal is not always easy. Due to the plurality of voices, the diversity of opinions, the numerous protagonists hosted. However, this issue at the start of the year which, without tactics, has played host to many creative languages, all different from each other in terms of geographical origin, style and material approach but, at the same time, very similar in their ability to express a concept that is dear to us: the equality of creativity. A topic that has been widely discussed over time and that we have dealt with here with London-born journalist and author Melanie Grant, discussing the definition of an artist and talking about the main barriers encountered on the way to full accreditation in the world of Fine Art. In this new, almost geopolitical journey that takes us from Europe to China and Japan and the more intangible dimension of the Metaverse, we also find Giovanna Engelbert's work for Swarovski, in a vision open to awareness and sharing. A maximalist approach that recalls the last decade and which we pay homage to with a reminder of Giovanni Gastel and his interpretation of fantasy jewelry in the 2000s. And it is with this backward glance that we push forward towards the frontier of NFTs in that digital dimension that arouses a veritable cryptomania, which could, however, offer a new and challenging opportunity to hard luxury too.