Concurrently with the Salone 2010 the Luisa delle Piane galleria presents a project by Matali Crasset entitled Vole-face  ( French for “About-face” ).

This project is part of matali’s research on functionality. Faithful to a strict style, matali shows figuratively and literally that when “you drop the mask”, true purpose finally appears. Volte-face thus presents the coexistence of two identities for the same object; by turning it around  ( in French, faire volte face ), you switch from one state to the other, from one function to another.

This duality represents two central and complementary aspects of design objects:

– symbolic: the convex shape, like a mask hung on a kitchen wall, is turned to the outside and represents an invitation to the supernatural. It reveals what may be hidden.

– domestic: turned to the concave side, the shape becomes suitable for everyday use. Physical rather than metaphysical, it is now a container that may hold anything. It may become an offerings cup or an object for “face to face” exchanges. The shape of the object is determined by the use given to it.

The Volte-face exhibit consists of four objects in duplicate: four masks/implements presented simultaneously on the walls and on a large kitchen table.

A series of photographs by Cécil Mathieu accompanies this project, depicting Matali’s pieces in scenes inspired by Samurai armor.

Galleria Luisa Delle Piane

Via Giuseppe Giusti, 24