June 27 - August 8, 2009 Opening June 27, 2009 from 6 p.m.
Mehdi Chouakri is pleased to announce the opening of Ciao Milano! on Saturday, June 27, at 6 p.m. This group show about the northern Italian city features works by Michelangelo Antonioni, John M Armleder, Ballo + Ballo, Luciano Fabro, Sylvie Fleury, Martino Gamper, K�hn Malvezzi, Piero Manzoni, Milva, Gio Ponti, Tobias Rehberger, Francesco Simeti & Valentina Rovara, and Ettore Sottsass.
Besides Paris, Berlin, and New York, Milan is one of the most important, though somewhat neglected, centers for twentieth-century art. In 1911 it was the location of the first Futurists� exhibition. During the second half of the century Lucio Fontana and Piero Manzoni represented the international avant-garde. However, Milan is a center for more than just the fine arts: important architecture, design, fashion, and cinema are also produced here. Ciao Milano! is a subjective homage to the Lombardi city and its cultural tradition, whose influence reaches far beyond the borders of Italy.
Along with historical pieces, Ciao Milano! also gathers works by contemporary artists who refer to certain Milanese positions. At the center is Gio Ponti (1891-1979), represented by several drawings and a rare fabric design. Both Martino Gamper (born 1971) and Tobias Rehberger (born 1966) have explored Ponti�s work. While Gamper takes apart and then reassembles furniture by the architect, Rehberger�s comic-like collages imagine a fictional dialogue between Ponti and his younger colleague, Ettore Sottsass (1917-2007). Sottsass himself is represented in Ciao Milano! by an unusual floor lamp (1989/90). For one of his Furniture Sculptures, John M Armleder (born 1948) has transformed a bar stool by Joe Colombo (1930-1971). Plusdesign�s works are a combination of art and design; two pieces of furniture from their program, one by Francesco Simeti & Valentina Rovara, and the other by K�hn Malvezzi, will be presented.
A dialogue is created between an Achrome made of glass wool, by Piero Manzoni (1933-1963), and a Cuddly Painting, by Sylvie Fleury (born 1961). Also featured will be Luciano Fabro�s (1936-2007) L�occhio di Dio (1969/74), a wall object made of simple materials, such as wood and railing, assembled in the shape of a trinity symbol. Finally, a scene from one of Michelangelo Antonioni�s (1912-2007) films, La Notte, represents Milan�s film industry.
We would like to thank Manolo di Giorgi, K�hn Malvezzi, Matteo Licitra, Paul Maenz, Gio Marconi, Neugerriemschneider, Mariano Pichler & Lilia Laghi (Plusdesign), Andrea Succo, Clemens Tissi, and Nina Yashar (Nilufar) for their kind cooperation.
