achieving theunthinkable

"I think people want somethingthat doesn't exist in Monaco,"reveals architect ChristianCurau, one of the visionaries

behind the new Sporting Villas. "Even the newgeneration wants something that they can't getanywhere else; the privilege of the exception."

The villas certainly are exceptional. Located onthe prestigious peninsula of the Sporting MonteCarlo, the Sporting Villas are an unprecedentedreal estate accomplishment in a Principalitythat is dominated by stark concrete towers. Thetwo-storey villas harmoniously hug the peninsula;their shimmering pools, curved wooden exteriorsand umbrella pines blend with the natural tonesof the Mediterranean coast.

Designed by Christian Curau and Laurent Gire,the villas were created using the finest materials,artisan builders and strict environmental stand-ards. They are also completely curved. "Thestraight line doesn't exist in nature, and we builtthe villas - in the middle of this wild part ofMonaco - trying to integrate it and find thesmoothest shape we could," revealed Curau.

The nearby Sporting Monte Carlo, which is celeb-rating its 40th anniversary this year, also servedas the architects' inspiration; its rounded designand proximity to the sea laid the foundation forSBM's newest venture - holiday villas.

The three villas can be rented for around 200,000euros each per month. The central villa is filledwith carefully selected furniture made from thefinest materials - marble, Zebrano wood (fromcentral Africa) and natural smoky quartz. Themajority of pieces are custom made, a necessityconsidering there is not one straight angle in theentire villa.

The gardens exude an authentic and intimateambience thanks to the landscape architectJean Mus. All existing umbrella pines on the sitewere retained; new citrus plantations bringcolour and fragrance, while the flora also servesto protect guests' privacy.

The villas are an accomplishment on a numberof different levels. "For an architect, it is excep-tional to be able to build a villa in Monaco," con-cludes Curau. Cassandra Tanti

i t is a development that many never thought possible: threeindependent villas by the sea in the heart of Monaco. With everysquare inch considered sacred in this tiny, two-square kilometrePrincipality, how do you convince investors to choose just threeliveable spaces as opposed to a possible hundred?

Helidon Xhixha is a prominentItalian sculptor of Albanianorigin, who studied atLondon Kingston Universityas well as the Accademiadelle Belle Arti of Brera in

Milan. He is renowned for his many achievementsand a consistent style that has already generatedwide recognition from critics in numerous coun-tries, with an impressive portfolio of monumentalinstallations permanently placed in significantlocations like the Violin Museum presided by theStadivari Foundation in Cremona, Italy, thePresidential Palace in Tirana, Albania, theNational Museum of Science and TechnologyLeonardo da Vinci in Milan, and the regional gov-ernment Lombardy Building in Milan, among oth-ers.

Xhixha is an unconventional artist who exploresbeyond the use of the same old materials andthemes and unveils new realities and forms. Aninvestigator of "alternative paths" on the artistic

scene, Xhixha plays with the light reflected on themetal with a mastery that lies at the core of anexpressive power that hinges on the precariousyet sophisticated ambivalent relationshipbetween randomly and finely calibrated harm-onious darting forms.

It might be said that rather than sculpting mat-erials, the artist uses them to sculpt space andlight, or, in other words, that he transforms theforce and energy of his creative process into sculp-tural material which he then transfigures intoluminous energy.

The artist recently finalised a partnership withPMG - a New York City based development firmheaded by Kevin Maloney for the project Muse,located on the pristine white sand beaches ofSunny Isles Beach, Florida. The 47-story towerwas conceptually designed by Uruguayan archi-tect Carlos Ott and fleshed out by the Miamibased firm of Sieger Suarez ArchitecturalPartnership. Muse, a state-of-the-art, tall, narrow

and luxurious condominium,will have an artwork of HelidonXhixha in every apartment andmonumental sculptures adorn-ing the hall and entrance of thebuilding.

In London, the prestigious gallery Contini Art UK,recently opened on New Bond Street, has startedcollaboration with Helidon Xhixha exhibiting hisartworks in its space located in the heart ofMayfair. Set over two floors, the gallery covers over5,000 square feet, and contains a permanent col-lection of well-known contemporary and modernartists.

Meanwhile, during the official June opening of theNew Yacht Club of Monaco, a five metre highmonument titled Vela by Helidon Xhixha wasunveiled. The monument sculpted in 316 marinegrade, mirror polished stainless steel, resembles asail and stands tall next to the entrance of the clubhouse at Quay level. The piece is inspired by the

Helidon Xhixha unites the power oflight with stainless steel by confiningit, transforming it, and ultimately setting it free.

call of the sea, the contrast between life on landand at sea, between home and the unknown, andthe passion for adventure.

A smaller sculpture similar to the Vela monumentwas realised by Xhixha as a trophy for the 62ndGiraglia Rolex Cup 2014. The sculpture, measuring30 x 50 cm, was rewarded to Roberto TomasiniGrinover and his Robertssima team, and pres-ented by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.www.xhixha.it

Pictures. Top left: Prince Albert presented RobertoTomasini Grinover with the racing trophy createdby Helidon Xhixha. Above: ‘Vera’ has a prestigiousposition at the Yacht Club of Monaco.

Helidon XhixhaThe sculptor of light brightens Miami,

London and Monaco

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