See Wild Italian Design at Today Art Museum
In today’s episode of Shuangjing Delights, I present to you the latest exhibition at Today Art Museum, inaugurated barely over a week ago. “Gaetano Pesce: Nobody’s Perfect” is bringing to Beijing the fascinating, multifaceted work of an Italian designer and architect whose work shakes off the shackles of convention in contemporary design to cast an unbridled gaze on humankind.
The exhibition will be open until Jun 30 but with no reservation needed, there’s no time like the present. Grab a partenaire to save some money on your tickets and flock to Today Art Museum.
Italian artist Gaetano Pesce's genius creations are awaiting you from the very entrance
You may not have the vocabulary to define them, but we all definitely have these vague yet rigid conventions in mind when it comes to design. Cool, sleek, pristine. Well, Gaetano Pesce (La Spezia, Italy, 1939) has built his career on the rejection of these conventions. He's been a trailblazer from his youth, when he penned a manifesto defending the right to incoherence in art, the need for change and freedom and constant innovation.
Aptly lauded by reporter Matthew Schneier as the "Pope of Gloop", Pesce has stated that the perceived liquidity of our time informs both our contemporary values and his materials of choice, equally contemporary to him: foam, resin, fabric and polyurethane. Impervious to his critics, he has amassed an extensive portfolio with public and private projects across the globe where his whimsical aesthetics come with undeniable insight.
Through a humanistic spirit, Pesce has appraised our modern society
The exhibition at the Today Art Museum is structured in a total of nine sections across the second and third floors —a Preface Hall, the Pratt Chair and Up Chair, a Video Room, Design with Aura, Gaetano Pesce's Studio, Architecture With No Boundaries, a Public Education Zone and a Reading Room.
The kaleidoscope of details emerging from this taffy universe of color and creativity will only unfold upon your eyes on a second, even third look to each piece. Hidden faces, revealed dimensions, layers of meaning… Pesce extends an open invitation for you to interpret his creative language.
A wonderful parade of 50 three-dimensional works and over 30 manuscripts, images and documents
First in the tour comes the Up Chair series, "one of the most famous chairs in the 20th Century" and a reflection on women and their lack of freedom that has not been entirely exempt of controversy. Its commercial version is produced nowadays in polyurethane foam and stretch fabric, for the sake of storing and transportation. In this section, too, you'll be able to admire three resin seats from the Pratt Chair series.
The Pratt Chair Series deals with the difference between artistry and practicality
Are you warming up to chairs already? The fun has just started. Go to the Video Room to make your proper acquaintance with Signore Pesce and then dive into the next section, Design with Aura. To me, this was nothing short of a treasure room.
"Tavolo Puzzle" (2021) honors the surname of his creator and was produced exclusively for this exhibition, but there's oh so much more! "Portraitratti Chair" (2021) is Pesce's colossal, colorful reflection on a kinder, more humane version of globalization. Works such as "Il Burattino" (2019) and "I Grandi Curiosi" (2019) criticize the manipulation of unrealistic values and call for curiosity.
For your fill of four-legged design, be sure to check the "Crosby Child Chair", the "Jeanne Chair" and, of course, the "Nobody's Perfect Chair" (2002-2019) series, dealing with Pesce's design concept of "diversity and non-repetition". I could talk all day about other pieces such as the fascinating "Portrait Lamp #1" (1989-2016) or the striking humanity in the "Palladio Cabinet" (2017)…but it's time to move on.
Pesce is a master of zany, yet meaningful sacrilege
After briefly exploring the Gaetano Pesce Studio and before winding down at the Reading Room, the last remarkable section is Architecture With No Boundaries. A big highlight here is the photograph of the "Organic Building" (1989-1993) in Osaka, Japan, the world's first vertical garden.
Though the Sailor Moon vibes of Pesce's "Sketch for Rebuilding WTC" didn't quite resonate with me, once again I felt compelled by his thought process when learning about his "Sketch for Church of Solitude".
A career spanning over six decades in architecture, town planning, interior, industrial and exhibition design
Here I am now, satisfied with an exhibition that provided me with visual delights and food for thought. You can't ask much more from a visit to the museum.
"Gaetano Pesce: Nobody's Perfect" is co-organized with the Gaetano Pesce Studio and Design Society, has the support of the Embassy of Italy and will be on display until Jun 30. Opening hours are 10am to 6pm, Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday (ticket office closes at 5pm), and 10am to 9pm, Friday and Saturday (ticket office closes at 8pm). Tickets are RMB 128 for a single pass, RMB 238 for a double pass and RMB 78 discounted for students, disabled and retired folks.
Today Art Museum 今日美术馆
32 Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区百子湾路32号
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