AT TRIENNALE DI MILANO
FROM APRIL 9 TO MAY 1 2013
THE EXHIBIT
MASSIMO IOSA GHINI
ARCHITECT AND DESIGNER
The exhibition traces the 30-year career, from 80’s until now, of one of the most eclectic
personality of architecture and international design, through a rich selection of
drawings, interior design and architecture projects, objects, illustrations, videos.
Press preview:
Monday, April 8, from 11.00 am to 6.00 pm
From April 9 to May 1 2013, the Triennale di Milano hosts an exhibition dedicate to MASSIMO IOSA
GHINI, (Bologna, 1959), one of the most eclectic personality of the architecture and international design.
The exhibition, curated by Iosa Ghini Associati, in partnership with Fiandre Architectural Surfaces, Iris
Ceramica, Rossato, traces the 30-year of Iosa Ghini career, from the 80s until now, through a wide
selection of interior design and architecture projects, design objects, illustrations, audiovisual contributions,
which are characterized by the least common denominator of design, felt by the Bolognese architect as a
steady training and an essential starting point of all his creative process.
"In the seventies and eighties - affirms the same Iosa Ghini - mine was a great job of sign, based on exercise
also manual exercise of design, until the consciousness of being able to transform a bidimensional scenario
into a real one, able to provoke evocations, in objects also disconnected from my design training, such as
glasses, tableware, ice cream carts, lamps. "
The exhibition, organized with theme areas, in chronological order, opens with the section, Disegnare
(Drawings), which analyzes his beginnings when, in Bologna lively cultural ferment of the early eighties,
characterized also by the birth of Arts and Communication University of Umberto Eco, was active part in the
creation of a new vision of image integration, including illustration, fashion, communication and comics.
From comics - in the exhibition will be present some of his drawings for Frigidaire, Alter Linus, Vanity, WP
Store - and from suggestions of science fiction starts his professional research.
In 1985, he moved to Milan and took part in the avant-garde design, founding the group Bolidismo
(Bolidism), characterized by the power and purity of futuristic curve lines.
In the same year, Moroso company, realized his first object, the armchair Numero Uno, the true manifesto of
Bolidism, immediately followed by the production of Otello chair for Memphis. The result is what it can be
called ' Iosa Ghini style '.
The following year he was called by Ettore Sottsass to take part to Memphis group, where his streamlined
shapes succeed to maintain his own identity. He draws Dynamic collection of Moroso, whose success opened
the doors to Europe and worldwide consecration.
Iosa Ghini international dimension is explained in the third section, Parlare con il mondo (Talking to the
world), with objects - such as Metropolis chair, Aladin, Scuba and Solar II lamps and Duravit taps and fittings designed for major international companies such as IBM Italy, Zumtobel, Duravit, Dornbracht in Germany,
Roche Bobois International in France, Silhouette Modellbrillen in Austria, Yamagiwa in Japan.
The exhibition goes through the area Interpretare la quintessenza italiana (Interpreting the Italian
quintessence): works designed for brands representing Italian excellence in the world, including Ferrari,
Maserati, Superga, for which he designed working spaces, shops and corporate image. A very important topic,
because, as Iosa Ghini says, "today, the company's quality goes beyond the product and involves
communication."
Moreover, the collaboration with Alitalia; as regards the product design, with Cassina, Poltrona Frau, Snaidero
kitchens and with Oikos which with its color and texture for sustainable architecture follows the design
requirements of architect.
The exhibition goes on with recent events - from the nineties to the present - with the architectural and design
projects, in which the theme of environmental sustainability becomes leading combined with the ability of
technological stylistical innovation of Italian productive system, summarized in the sentence Sostenibile ma
bello (Sustainable but beautiful). One example is People Mover project, which combines the architectural
themes of transport and sustainability, which had been already dealt with the subway station in Hanover.
Furthermore the installation South Face and products like the balustrade of Faraone, Leva lamp for Leucos
and the spotlight Pixel Pro for iGuzzini Illuminazione.
Videos collections will show the scenographies designed for Rai Television, like Disco Ring, Obladì Oblada
hosted by Serena Dandini, or Fuori Orario of Enrico Ghezzi.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalog published by Skira, coordinated by Alessandra Coppa and
Anna Maria Mainoli, with texts by Luca Beatrice, Stefano Casciani, Aldo Colonetti, Luigi Prestinenza Puglisi
and Gillo Dorfles.
Biographical notes
Massimo Iosa Ghini (Bologna, 1959) is an architect, graduated from Polytechnic Institute of Milan. Since 1985
he participated at the avant-garde of Italian design for Bolidism group, that he founded, and joined the
Memphis group with Ettore Sottsass. As an architect, his professional development takes place in the design
of architectural projects and exhibition spaces, redefining the interior design identity of a highly select group of
companies with a world-wide application to all their offices, subsidiaries and dealers. His projects have
important awards, including the Good Design Award by the Chicago Athenaeum and the Red Dot Award. He
holds conferences and lectures in various universities, including the Polytechnic Institute of Milan, the Domus
Academy, the University of Rome La Sapienza, the School Elisava of Barcelona, the Design Fachhoschule of
Cologne and the Hochschule fur Angewandte Kunst in Vienna. From 2007 he is professor of Industrial Design
and Made in Italy at Alma Graduate School in Bologna. From 2008 he is Adjunct Professor at the School of
Design at the Polytechnic of Hong Kong.
Milan, March 2013
MASSIMO IOSA GHINI. Architect and designer
Milan Triennale (Viale Alemagna 6)
9 April - 1 May 2013
Opening hours:
from 9th to 14th of April: 10.00-22.00
from 16th of April to 1st of May: 10.30-20.30
on Thursday 10.30-23.00
Free Admission
Information: www.iosaghini.it
Catalogue: Skira
Administrative Office: tel. 051.236563 ; comunicazione@iosaghini.it
Press Office
CLP Public Relations
Anna Defrancesco
tel. 02 36 755 700
press1@clponline.it ; www.clponline.it
Press release and images on http://www.clponline.it/mostre/massimo-iosa-ghini-architetto-e-designer