Achille Castiglioni's exhibition design legacy at M.A.X. Chiasso

The M.A.X. museum in Chiasso presents 'Achille Castiglioni Visionario', an exhibition celebrating the centenary of Achille Castiglioni (1918-2002) with over 150 objects and documentation of 484 exhibition design projects. Curated by Ico Migliore, Mara Servetto (Migliore+Servetto Architects), Italo Lupi, and Nicoletta Ossanna Cavadini, the show shifts focus from Castiglioni's well-known industrial design to his role as an architect-director of space and light in temporary exhibitions. It features mostly unpublished materials from the Fondazione Castiglioni, including sketches, models, videos, and private correspondence. The exhibition is structured as an itinerant system with foldable tables and lightweight shelving, presenting four thematic areas: domestic space visions, projects for art, theaters for innovation, and landscapes of signs and products. Highlights include stands for Bticino, Rai, and Montecatini, the 'Vie d’acqua da Milano al mare' project, and Castiglioni's 1984 solo show in Vienna. The curators emphasize Castiglioni's cinematic approach to design, his attention to user behavior and interaction, and his role as a precursor of multimodality. The exhibition runs at M.A.X. Chiasso in 2018.