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Memphis at the Palazzo Franchetti

Plastic Field, the current exhibition at the Venetian art space, features a selection of work created by the Italian group between 1981 and 1987

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Text by Rab Messina
Photography by Francesco Allegretto

It’s 1565 meets 1981 in Venice right now: the Palazzo Franchetti, located near the Ponte dell’Accademia in the Grand Canal, is hosting Memphis – Plastic Field, a selection of works by the Italian design group.

The exhibition structure, done by Milan’s IB Studio, pays homage to the collective’s irreverence. It modifies the Palazzo’s set spaces by repurposing and rescaling the parts of Ettore Sottsass’ Carlton room divider.

Apart from key pieces by Sottsass, there are objects designed by Alessandro Mendini, Nathalie Du Pasquier, Marco Zanuso Jr., Martine Bedin, Matteo Thun, Thomas Bley, María Sánchez, Andrea Branzi, Marco Zanini, Aldo Cibic, Michele de Lucchi, George Sowden, Javier Mariscal, Michael Graves, Massimo Iosa Ghini, Shiro Kuramata, Peter Shire, Gerard Taylor and Masanori Umeda,

And as a way of connecting Memphis to the city of Venice, curator Jean Blanchaert and the Fondazione Berengo have set up a thematic room to celebrate the impact of the shapes and chromatic range of the group on Murano’s glassmaking.

Plastic Field is on display until November 25

plastic field
plastic field
plastic field
plastic field
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