For the Salone 2013, the Triennale in Milan hosted an exhibition dedicated to Massimo Iosa Ghini (Bologna, 1959)
The exhibition traces the 30 year career (from the eighties to the present ) of one of Italy’s most eclectic personalities – international architect and designer Massimo Iosa Ghini, – through a rich selection of drawings, designs, interiors and architecture, objects, illustrations, movies.
The exhibition, curated by Iosa Ghini Associati, in partnership with Flanders Architectural Surfaces, Iris Ceramica, Rossato, traces 30 years of Iosa Ghini’s career, through a wide selection of interior design projects and architecture, design objects, illustrations, audiovisual contributions, which are characterized by the minimum common denominator of design, as a constant practice and an essential starting point of his entire creative process.
“In the seventies and eighties – said Ghini – mine was a great job of sign, also based on the exercise of manual drawing, until the consciousness of being able to transform a two-dimensional scene into a real one, capable of evocations in objects also disconnected from my training design, such as glasses, tableware, ice cream carts, lamps. “
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The exhibition, organized by topic, in chronological order, opens with the section, Drawing, which analyzes its beginnings when, in Bologna lively cultural ferment of the early eighties, characterized, among others, from the birth of the University of arts and communication of Umberto Eco, actively participates in the creation of a new vision of the integration of the image, including illustration, fashion, communication and comics.
Just from the comics – in the exhibition will be presented some of his drawings for Frigidaire, Alter Linus, Vanity, WP Store – and the suggestions of science fiction starts his professional research.
In 1985, he moved to Milan, take part in the avant-garde design, founding the group Bolidismo, which is characterized by the power and purity of line matrix futuristic curves.
In the same year for Moroso, he developed his first object, the chair Number One, a true manifesto of this trend, immediately followed by the production of Otello chair for Memphis.
The result is what might be termed the ‘style Iosa Ghini‘.
The following year he was called by Ettore Sottsass to be part of the Memphis group, which his aerodynamic shapes are able to maintain their recognizability.
Then draws the collection of objects Dynamic by Moroso, whose success opened the doors to the consecration Europe and worldwide.
The international dimension of Iosa Ghini will be the subject of investigation for the third section, Talking with the world, with objects – such as Metropolis chair, lamps Aladin, Scuba and Solar II and fittings Duravit – designed for big foreign companies, such as IBM Italy , Zumtobel, Duravit, Dornbracht in Germany, Roche Bobois International in France, Silhouette Modellbrillen in Austria, Yamagiwa in Japan.
The exhibition continues with the area Interpret the quintessential Italian, which proposes that the work Iosa Ghini for brands that represent Italian excellence in the world, including Ferrari, Maserati, Superga, for which he designed the space work, shopping, and the coordinated image which allows the company to be immediately recognizable.
A very important factor, because, as noted by the same Iosa Ghini… “today, the company’s quality goes beyond the product and involves communication.”
And then again, in collaboration with Alitalia regarding product design, with Cassina, Poltrona Frau, Snaidero kitchens and Oikos with its color and texture for sustainable architecture follows the design requirements of the architect.
Iosa Ghini Associates have completed the Ferrari Factory Store in Serravalle Scrivia, Italy.
Beyond the glass gallery there is the commercial space.
As in all Ferrari Stores the merchandise areas are: the zone for Ferrari fans is designed with aluminium slats of high flexibility, in the luxury zone the display windows use soft materials, brushed leather and polished lacquer, in the children’s zone both systems are integrated :slats and display windows finished in yellow lacquer.
A shaped false ceiling outlines the design of the ensemble and follows the path of visitors.
The design of the areas is tightly connected to the design and graphic project specific to each Ferrari Store.
Continuous exposure and closes with current events – from the nineties to the present – that is, with the architectural plans and design, in which the theme of environmental sustainability becomes paramount combined with the ability to innovate technical style of the Italian productive system, summarized Sustainable in the sentence but nice.
One example is the People Mover project, which combines the architectural theme of the transport with that of environmental sustainability, which the architect had already dealt with in the main subway station in Hanover.
It is worth mentioning the South Face installation and products such as the balustrade of Pharaoh’s, the lamp Leucos lever and the spotlight Pixel Pro iGuzzini lighting.
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About Massimo Iosa Ghini
Massimo Iosa Ghini (Bologna, 1959) is an architect, graduated from the Polytechnic of Milan.
Since 1985 participates at the forefront of Italian design, Bolidismo for the group, which he founded, and is part of the Memphis group with Ettore Sottsass.
As an architect, his professional evolution takes place in the design of architectures and exhibition spaces, interior design redefining the identity of a highly selected group of companies with world-wide application to all their branches, subsidiaries and outlets.
His projects have received major awards, including the Good Design Award from the Chicago Athenaeum and the Red Dot Award.
He has held conferences and lectures at various universities, including the Politecnico di Milano, Domus Academy, the University La Sapienza of Rome, the Elisava School of Barcelona, Design Fachhochschule Cologne Hochschule für Angewandte Kunst in Vienna.
Since 2007 he is professor of Industrial Design and Made in Italy at the Alma Graduate School of Bologna.
Since 2008 he is Adjunct Professor at the School of Design of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
