FROM A TO ZAVEN. A project by Maria Cristina Didero and Francesca Molteni
IIC Istituto Italiano di Cultura – Toronto
January 22 – March 15 2019
Opening night: January 22 | 6:30pm
On the occasion of the “Design TO Festival” the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in collaboration with Studio Zaven and MUSE Factory of Projects present FROM A TO ZAVEN, the first solo show in Canada, intending to portray Zaven’s peculiar approach towards the world of design. Studio Zaven, namely Enrica Cavarzan and Marco Zavagno, will attend an opening reception in their honour on Tuesday, January 22 at 6:30pm.
Conceived specifically for the gallery space at the Istituto, this unusual installation features two-dimensional representations of projects that are exemplary of Zaven’s peculiar approach to the world of design. As trained and talented product and graphic designers, Zaven’s work switches easily between two and three dimensions. “The way in which a line on paper becomes a volume in space is one of the main topics of our research.” (Zaven)
From A to Zaven is an intriguing anthology that swaps depictions of the duo’s works for the three-dimensional objects themselves, including the P.O.P. collection (2018 Milano Design Week), the Chipo rug (CC-tapis), the Lola chair and Boccia collection (Atipico), the award-winning Rilievi collection (CEDIT), and Pipe Dream (commissioned by Santa Margherita Wine), among others. The show includes original posters designed for the Destroy Vancouver festival (Vivo Media Art Centre), as well as signposting and communications materials for the V-A-C Foundation, launched during the Venice Biennale 2015.
Curated by by Maria Cristina Didero and Francesca Molteni
Click here to read the full article about the Exhibition, in the Italian newspaper “Il Sole 24 Ore”.
ABOUT ZAVEN
Founded by Enrica Cavarzan and Marco Zavagno in 2006, Zaven is a multidisciplinary creative studio that focuses on the interaction between communications, design and art. Zaven is based in Venezia, Italy, and works internationally, offering creative direction, product, graphic and installation design, focusing on research, concept development, and collaboration among professionals from different fields. Enrica and Marco regularly teach, hold workshops and lectures in various design school both in Italy and abroad.
From A to Zaven is presented by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura a Toronto in collaboration with Studio Zaven and MUSE Factory of Projects.
ABOUT MARIA CRISTINA DIDERO
Maria Cristina Didero is an independent design curator and freelance journalist, based in Milan and working internationally. She contributes regularly to different magazine such as Domus and Vogue Italia, and her column “L’Ascensore” is featured in IconDesign. Didero has collaborated with a number of institutions both in Italy and abroad, curating exhibitions worldwide and editing related catalogues. Among the most recent ARE AL(L): Projects with Aluminum by Michael Young at Grand Hornu for Stichting Kunstboek, and The Space in Between, Nendo’s exhibition at Holon Design Museum, Tel Aviv. In 2015 she published, The Merchant Of Clouds (Skira) with Franco Audrito of Studio65 for the related show at the GAM, in Turin. She wrote the introductory text to 1968, a book by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari. Didero has published and contributed to several books, including The System of Objects at DESTE Foundation, co-curated with Andreas Angelidakis, Keep Your Seat at GAM in Turin with Danilo Eccher (Electa), and Michele De Lucchi (Corraini) with illustrations by New York-based illustrator Steven Guarnaccia.
ABOUT FRANCESCA MOLTENI
Francesca Molteni graduated from the University of Milan with a degree in Philosophy, and studied Film Production at New York University. She has been active in producing and directing documentaries, tv formats, videos, and curating design exhibitions since 2002. In 2009 Molteni set up the MUSE Factory of Projects, a production company based in Milan. In 2016 she documented the US election in La Casa Bianca [The White House], a TV program for RAI3.
Molteni is a regular contributor to Vogue and Casa Vogue Italy, GQ, Elle Decor, IlSole24Ore, as well as the author of the book Oggetti d’impresa [Objects of Enterprise], Carocci, 2016. In 2017, together with Maria Cristina Didero, she curated SuperDesign, a film about Italian Radical Design promoted by R&Company Gallery and produced by MUSE.
Molteni’s accomplishments have been widely recognized with a number of prizes, including the Award for Innovation bestowed by the President of the Italian Republic (2102), and the Compasso d’Oro honorable mention (2012), the Cathay Pacific Award for women entrepreneurs (2013), and the PIDA DesignPrize for the “Dove vivono gli architetti” exhibition, curated with Davide Pizzigoni for the Milan Salone del Mobile (2014).