Fuorisalone 2019: Top and Flop Highlights

The Fuorisalone 2019 in Milan saw curated successes and notable failures. The 5VIE district presented a cohesive thematic project with exhibitions by Roberto Sironi, Carlo Massoud, Kiki Van Eijk, and Joost Van Bleiswijk. Les Arcanistes by Studiopepe (Arianna Lelli Mami and Chiara di Pinto) offered an alchemical-themed installation in a former factory. Design Collisions at Nilufar Depot, curated by Laura Traldi and Nina Yashar, featured FAR by Valentina Ciuffi/Studio Vedèt, highlighting emerging designers like Audrey Large who use technology to blur object and image boundaries. Flops included Ventura BASE at BASE, where interesting content like the Studiolo Robotico R.U.R. from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design of Prague was poorly displayed. The proliferation of installations was criticized, with notable exceptions like Aria's augmented reality cube and Carlo Ratti's mycelium structure at Orto Botanico di Brera. Gaetano Pesce's tribute for the Up 5&6 armchair's 50th anniversary sparked protests from Non una di meno and Cristina Donati Meyer, who added red paint to the sculpture. B&B Italia canceled a celebratory exhibition at the Museo della Scienza. The Salone del Mobile's ribbon-cutting ceremony featured only men, prompting Mayor Sala to express embarrassment, with calls to include Marva Griffin, inventor of SaloneSatellite.