This show was my absolute personal highlight in Milan this year: Erastusio’s Apartment Gallery. As the name suggests, it is a gallery placed in an apartment. The exhibition – curated by Marco Tagliafierro – was extraordinary, particularly for the tension it created by the discrepancy of content and location: Being placed in the poshest design quarter of Milan (Brera), the show explored the will to recover materials and structures from past installations, and represented the stylistic sign of Erastudio, which proposes to “extend the use and performance of many different materials like semi-industrial, excluded from the aesthetic debate”. Also on show were various prototypes of renowned designers, some as old as 70 years, now being sold as individual gallery pieces (the prototypes, not the designers).
Shown above is one of the installation pieces of the Fragile Memory Boxcreated by Patrizia Tenti and Giuliana Frangipani. The commissioned bronze piece below, showing a group of mice, is created by Riccardo Goti. The organizers deliberately chose it as the representative animal for this show. Being considered as filthy and a pest, they felt it would emphasize the subversive character of their exhibition. Underneath are (already burned down) candle holders by the same designer, made from spare car parts.
This arm chair is made from left over materials from fashion trade shows. The black cover is an aluminium sheet. The beautiful vases carry the typical signature of renowned wood turner and designer Ernst Gamperl. He turns them with green wood so when they dry, the super thin walls crack at certain points and create absolutely stunning shapes.
Above is a shelf created by Erastudio from found design prototypes from the 1940’s as well as a wonderful mirror coat hanger: If you push in the top part of the mirror, the coat hanger is revealed. An ingenious piece from the 70’s that never really went into production. All in all a truly sensitively curated show with perfect lighting. The location, the Apartment Gallery can be rented for shows during the whole year.
