Cover: Superstudio, Passiflora, table lamp, Centro Studi Poltronova, photo Pietro Savorelli.
Organized by Fondazione Zimei, SUPERNOVA shows how creativity can push boundaries and spark new possibilities, like a star’s explosion giving birth to new celestial bodies
Words TOMMASO FALOCI
SUPERNOVA
Alek O. | Archizoom | Céline Condorelli | Lazar Lyutakov | Gianni Pettena | Alfredo Pirri | Lili Reynaud-Dewar | Tomás Saraceno | Franck Scurti | Ettore Sottsass | Davide Stucchi | Superstudio
Curated by:
Massimiliano Scuderi, curator and director of the Zimei Foundation
Elisabetta Trincherini, art historian and manager of the historical archive of the Centro Studi Poltronova for Design
Organized by Fondazione Zimei
In collaboration with Poltronova and Urban Gallery
07th Dec. 2024–08th Feb. 2025
Teatro Michetti–Pescara
Viale G. D’Annunzio 28
Inaugurated last Saturday, December 7th, SUPERNOVA can be described as a journey into the deep connections between the most mutable and eclectic forms of contemporary art and the language of Radical Design, a movement from the 1960s that delved into the roots of the arts. Through a vibrant dialogue between architects, designers and visual artists, the exhibition narrates an era of cross-pollination and shared visions, where design and art reinvent themselves in an explosion of creative energy.
International artists such as Franck Scurti, Tomás Saraceno, Lili Reynaud Dewar, Alek O, Davide Stucchi, Céline Condorelli, Lazar Lyutakov, and Alfredo Pirri engage in conversation with iconic pieces from design history, exploring the thin boundary between art and design. On display are works by Gianni Pettena and Poltronova, including Ettore Sottsass’s Ultrafragola mirror and the Superbox cabinet, Superstudio’s Passiflora lamp and T02 table, as well as Archizoom’s Superonda sofa and Mies armchair.
Each artist approaches, from a different perspective, the relationship between architecture, everyday objects, and nature, imagining alternative ways of life. Between anarchy and utopia, the works reflect a tension toward new freedoms, inspired by the avant-garde movements of the twentieth century.
About Poltronova:
In the 1960s, Poltronova turned Tuscany into an avant-garde design hub, bringing together masters like Ettore Sottsass, Gae Aulenti, and radical figures such as Archizoom and Superstudio. Furniture became a filter of its time, blending rationality with color, emotion, and sensuality. Founded in 2005, the Centro Studi Poltronova aims to preserve the brand’s historical archive and revive its iconic designs, maintaining the legacy of avant-garde creativity.
