Mosa87’s neo-archaeology

Mosa87’s neo-archaeology

Tommaso Berra · 7 months ago · Art

Still through March 11 it will be possible to discover the work of artist Mosa87 presented in Spectrum‘s new Milan store. On the occasion of the exhibition Collater.al asked the artist what he means by “neo-archaeology” and about the seemingly difficult relationship between graffiti art and street art, and the tendency of the latter to have become more and more an art gallery phenomenon by tying itself less and less to the streets.

1. Your research is closely related to the underground and urban scene. How did you approach this world?
I started graffiti at the age of 13, 14. I was therefore fascinated very early on by environments such as the subway, abandoned places, as well as places abandoned by large cities. For me urban culture is the dominant culture, present in our everyday lives and therefore inspires me on a daily basis. The tag is by definition underground because it’s made by strangers who don’t care about making money in opposition to the street art that we see everywhere today.

2. What was your first approach to art? Did you start right away with spray
cans on city walls as a writer and street artist?

My first approach was by mimetism. I wanted to copy what I saw in the street. Gradually I understood the rules of the game and started painting Mosa’s name on the walls.

3. The street holds the sign of our passage on Earth. The very structure of cities reflects our culture, our habits and our progress. With the spray can you leave your personal mark, the wall becomes your canvas, what do you intend to communicate with this style?
Above all, painting with a spray can is linked to my personal pleasure. The line, the body, the movement are the main interests of my practice. I am a tagger. What interests me is movement mainly, which is why I wanted to develop a choreographic system around the practice of tag. For a very long time my interest has been to shock and to always go further in the ways of putting my name in style, therefore quality and quantity. In every city in the world. Now what interests me are the political tags of a social nature that stand out from the aesthetic quality but have a deep message. This is a new opening on my work.

4. We know you are an eclectic artist. In addition to works on walls, you also make sculptures, paintings and videos. How do you choose different types of mediums?
We live in a time when it is easy to find the medium that suits us. By this I mean that technologies help us to free our creation. So I use the medium in line with my ideas, with my concepts. There are so many ways to transcribe our sensitivity that I don’t want to imprison it in a box. For example, if I want to talk about vacant lots I can do it in a sound way. I will use a microphone that will record the sound of stones and footsteps as well as birds in the sky. There is therefore no limit to creation with the mediums that I use. I think it is important for artists from the culture of the tag specifically to be able to free themselves from the codes and thus offer the public and more especially those of contemporary art a larger, open and sensitive vision of the urban world. Being a tagger is a philosophy, walking the streets stealing your bombs, getting by in a hostile environment. It is a very complete way of life and therefore it must transcribe when one enters the field of contemporary art all its facets of this environment little known in truth. Street artists would have us believe that doing street art is fun and cool. In truth it’s the opposite, wandering the streets at night, crossing abandoned spaces, meeting drug addicts, prostitutes drinking alcohol to keep warm. The way of life this way of making art is dark. I want my art to reflect this reality. To do this, I use all the mediums at my disposal to transcribe this way of life, this energy. This is what I embody. That’s what I want to give to the public, with my vision of a 35-year-old adult living in 2023.

5. How do you feel about the increasing phenomenon of street art moving
into more institutional venues such as galleries?

For me, street art is a basket in which we put artists who make graffiti, pochoir, muralists… It’s a patchwork of different urban activities. Very often used by institutions. It’s a mainstream movement. Because of my practice as a tagger, I find myself in opposition to this movement. Although there are many common points, such as painting with the same material and using one’s body to paint on large walls, for example. For my part, I tried to avoid getting into this movement as much as possible. What I miss in street art is the conceptual thinking, the questioning of the graffiti movement and too often the lack of aesthetic proposal when moving from the street to the gallery. In my opinion, far too many street artist and graffiti artists think that their past as graffiti writers is enough to legitimize their status as gallery artists. You have to do a real work, renew yourself while keeping your ethics. As a tagger, the challenge lies there for me. Once this shift has been made, it is then a question of expressing oneself and keeping one’s coherence and urban energy. 

6. What do you mean by Neo Archaeology? The title of your series, now also landed in Milan at SPECTRUM.
Neo-archeologia is a series of sculptures. The idea is to find fragments of objects in abandoned places that I cross while going to tag. These objects are then brought back to the workshop and transformed, to give them a new life. This form of contemporary archeology thus allows me to create a work of science fiction around its objects and thus to be able to create scenarios which come to feed my artistic work. History, archaeology, science fiction are the central themes of this Neo-archΓ©ologia series. Here in Milan I present version 3.0. Neo-archΓ©ologia wants to be a cycle of work, a method, a way of making visible and alive the abandoned places mainly due to the gentrification of our cities. So it’s a way for me to talk about tag, heritage and ultimately the relationship to our spaces in our big cities as well as our relationship to objects and our consumption. It’s a work process that allows me to walk the streets of different cities and give them back their uniqueness. My way of working allows me to adapt to each geography. It is also a way for me to discover the culture, the legacies of our past, of our civilizations.

7. Can you reveal something about your next project? Which city would you like to “mark” with your
works and why?

My next big project is a solo show in Paris. I would like to travel to South America. From what I see, from what I know, on this continent has a very strong culture and identity It is a region of the world that I would like to meet. I hope one day very soon.

Mosa87 | Collater.al
Mosa87’s neo-archaeology
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What You Can Buy at Alcova Design Shop

What You Can Buy at Alcova Design Shop

Giorgia Massari · 2 days ago · Design

We’ve already talked to you about Alcova, the leading platform in innovative design that recorded a very high number of visitors during Milan Design Week. Their focus on emerging talents and, more broadly, on collectible design is amplified with the launch of an online shop on their website. This is a platform entirely dedicated to collectible design, offering a selection of works created by established and emerging designers. In addition to the e-commerce aspect, Alcova is opening a Project Space in Milan, set to become the reference point for the online shop through physical exhibitions. Let’s discover more about the most interesting design pieces on the platform, from the more affordable ones to the more expensive ones.

While browsing the platform, it’s easy to come across the works of designers we’ve already had the chance to see at Ex Macello, such as Laurids GallΓ©e and Stefania Ruggiero, but also designers we’ve previously discussed, such as CΓ΄me ClΓ©rino. What is surprising – in addition to the refinement and careful craftsmanship of the objects – is the prices. Starting from less than a hundred euros and going up to higher prices, you can purchase a unique item while supporting both emerging and non-emerging design, which is increasingly oriented towards the future. In this way, Alcova reinforces its commitment to sustainability and, at the same time, its position within the international market, with plans to expand to Miami in December 2023.

Stefania Ruggiero, Swamp carpet – 3.175€
What You Can Buy at Alcova Design Shop
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Ambiguous design in the Church of Parabiago

Ambiguous design in the Church of Parabiago

Giorgia Massari · 1 day ago · Design

Increasingly, art in all its forms is coming into contact with historical and sacred places such as former churches, former convents or archaeological sites. The dialogue between contemporary and ancient, as well as the contrast between secular and religious, are increasingly proving their scenic and communicative power. Curators and gallery owners are looking for evocative and magical places with the intention of developing new languages but not only. In this sense, the factor of redevelopment of the historical and cultural heritage comes into play. Art is in the first place in proposing new uses of these often closed and unused places. We have already talked in the past about the exhibition at the deconsecrated church in Corvetto during Milan Design Week, while today we want to tell you about a new contemporary design exhibition in the historic Church of Sant’Ambrogio della Vittoria in Parabiago (Milan) organized by FORO Studio and BeAlpha. Let’s find out more about the project and the emerging designers involved.

Antìtesi: the title and the location

The exhibition is titled AntΓ¬tesi and will run from Sept. 30 to Oct. 8, 2023, presenting the public with a selection of design works inspired by the rhetorical figure of antithesis. In this sense, designers are invited to reason about the contrast between two opposing entities, aiming to stimulate a strong emotional impact. The location is a fundamental part of the experience. The Church of Sant’Ambrogio della Vittoria is a place steeped in history and legends. Its construction was inspired by Luchino Visconti’s legendary victory over the rebellion led by Lodrisio, thanks to the divine intervention of St. Ambrose. This sacred place was declared a national monument in 1913 and has recently begun a process of restoration and reuse thanks to the association “La Fabbrica di Sant’Ambrogio.”

Jonathan Bocca

The exhibited designers

Within this historical context with a religious aura, the Antithesis exhibition presents a selection of contemporary design curated by FORO Studio. This shortlist includes a variety of designers, artists and makers from around the world, each with their own interpretation of antithesis in design. Participants include names such as AGA/Sign, Alice Crepaldi (whom we have already told you about here), Andreas Palfinger, Jonathan Bocca (you can also read about him here), and many others, each of whom has contributed unique and ambiguous projects that stimulate deep reflections.

Aga Sign

FORO Studio said, “Confrontation with the powerful rhetorical figure of antithesis has led us to learn about the multiple approaches of the participants who have unveiled projects that are intentionally ambiguous and thus capable of stimulating deep reflection. The art of design will be our contradictory voice, teaching us to understand and appreciate the harmonious dualism between opposing concepts, where contrast and harmony live on through the creative act.”

Sonia Gasparini

How to buy the exhibition’s objects

Another fascinating aspect of the exhibition is the partnership with Nonahora, an online curated-shop offering a selection of unique and sought-after items. Visitors will have the opportunity to purchase items in the exhibition directly from nonahora.com, guaranteeing the quality and authenticity of each piece.

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Lake Como Design Festival: Everything You Need to Know

Lake Como Design Festival: Everything You Need to Know

Giorgia Massari · 2 weeks ago · Design

Naturalis Historia is the title of this year’s Lake Como Design Festival, now in its fifth edition. Opening last weekend and concluding on Sunday, September 24, this year’s Festival again offers a rich program of exhibitions and events, but we have selected four not to be missed.
For those who are not familiar with it, the Lake Como Design Festival is an initiative of Wonderlake Como that every year aims to organize exhibitions and moments of reflection within historical places of the city, with the goal of promoting and sharing the artistic and cultural heritage of the city through what is the most democratic language of all, design. In fact, we are not only talking about design but also about art. In fact, the exhibitions we will be proposing swing on the thin line that divides, and sometimes unites, design from art.

Villa Olmo, ph Robert Mawdsley

This year’s subject

As we anticipated, this year’s subject is Naturalis Historia. Rereading these two Latin words, they do not sound so new. They are in fact the work of Pliny the Elder, after whom, by the way, the square overlooked by the Palazzo del Broletto, our first stop, is named. The Lake Como Design Festival chooses to pay homage to and be inspired by the writer and naturalist who was born in Como precisely two thousand years ago. The Festival’s title refers to the first encyclopedia ever written that encompasses under the same container a veritable cataloging of the animal, human and botanical worlds, through medicine, mineralogy, metalworking and art history. What is surprising about Naturalis Historia is the incredible contemporaneity of the writings, with their lively and curious writing. Thus, stage by stage, this ancient writing accompanies visitors to discover works of art and design objects conceived from careful research into the natural world.

#1 Palazzo del Broletto, The Other Animals

We start from the cathedral square, going up to the beautiful hall of Palazzo del Broletto. On the upper floor is The Other Animals exhibition, which among all is the one that best renders the concept inherent in the Plinian encyclopedia. In particular, the exhibition focuses on the volumes devoted to Zoology. Curators Lorenzo Butti and Massimiliano Mondelli have selected sixty descriptions of animals, and for each of them they have chosen a work or design object to place in dialogue. Extremely contemporary creations find themselves communicating with such ancient writing that, paradoxically, appears very current. One example is the dialogue between Andreas Kowalewski‘s work Olifant with Pliny the Elder’s description in which we read, “The greatest among animals is the elephant, and it is also the closest to man’s sensibility: it understands the language of the place where it was born and obeys commands; it is capable of remembering exercises; it feels desire for love and glory.”
The variety of the selection is astounding, especially when one notices that alongside a piece by Ettore Sottsass one can find works by young and emerging artists such as Lucrezia Costa and Ilaria Cuccagna, who, by the way, have recently finished an exhibition at the nearby Ramo Gallery.

Olifant, Andreas Kowalewski, courtesy of Caussa – The Other Animals, Palazzo del Broletto – installation view, ph Robert Mawdsley
Lucrezia Costa, The Other Animals, Palazzo del Broletto – Installation View

#2 San Pietro in Atrio, Stories of Fabrics

The second stop is San Pietro in Atrio, which is a few hundred meters from the Palazzo del Broletto. Inside this magnificent location, which is open to the public on the occasion of the Festival, there is a selection of national and international designers working in textiles with a strong experimental bent. The exhibition, titled Stories of Fabrics, sees an evocative layout with special care devoted to lighting. Among the various designers, what strikes us is the installation by the duo Milla Novo, whose bright colors create a strong contrast with the darkness of the environment.

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Stories of Fabrics, San Pietro in Atrio – installation view, ph Robert Mawdsley

#3 Villa Salazar, Contemporary Design Selection

Moving toward the lakefront we arrive at Villa Salazar, an 18th-century villa open to the public for the first time. Inside the magnificent rooms is housed the Contemporary Design Selection exhibition, curated by Giovanna Massoni in collaboration with Catawiki. The exhibition encompasses the work of thirty-five designers from different parts of the world, ranging from industrial design to site-specific installations and craftsmanship.

Contemporary Design Selection, Villa Salazar – installation view Jonathan Bocca – ph Robert Mawdsley

#4 Villa Olmo, Back to Nature

Our journey concludes at Villa Olmo with the Back to Nature exhibition. The event brings together designers, artists, publishers and galleries of modern and contemporary design. Various special projects take place in the different rooms of the villa, known as one of the main symbols of Como and one of the most famous historical residences in the area.

As soon as one crosses the entrance of Villa Olmo, one is confronted with Kris Rhus’s evocative floral installation The Second Song – Falling to Earth that leaves one breathless. Continuing through the various rooms of the villa we find, among others, the ETEL presentation by Brazilian architect and designer Oscar Niemeyer, the Ken Scott Archive’s exploration of the famous designer’s passion for botany through photographs and archival materials, and Grieder Contemporary gallery’s Mumo Forest exhibition featuring glass sculptures by Austrian artist Melli Ink. In the music room, the last one following the exhibition route, Movimento Club returns, which never fails in terms of staging and experimentation. With an exploration of unconventional perspectives on beauty and nature, The blue flower exhibition aims to be a rarity, like a blue flower – symbol of Romantic literature – emerging with wonder from the classic green landscape.

Back to Nature, Villa Olmo – installation view installazione floreale di Kris Rhus , ph Robert Mawdsley
Villa Olmo – Sala della Musica, Movimento Club Installation view
Back to Nature, Villa Olmo – installation view Mumo Forest di Melli Ink, ph Robert Mawdsley
Una collaborazione tra Draga & Aurel, Giuliano dell’Uva e Galleria Rossana Orlandi

Don’t miss the Lake Como Design Festival 2023 and other stops:
– Former Ursuline Convent San Carlo, Between Art and Nature
– White House, FENIX with the installation When Nature Blooms
– Ramo Gallery, De Curiositas
Find out all the others and more info at the dedicated website

Lake Como Design Festival: Everything You Need to Know
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The rugs are back

The rugs are back

Giorgia Massari · 3 weeks ago · Design

Have you noticed that everyone seems to be going crazy about rugs lately? Until a few years ago, the minimalist aesthetic had almost managed to ‘get rid of them’, yet in recent years they seem to have come back stronger than ever. The colourful and eccentrically shaped carpet, often circular and soft, is definitely a must-have for the home. Already a few months ago, we told you about the surrealist and liquid rugs of the South Korean brand SAY TOUCHΓ‰, which stand out for their drippy and hypnotic shapes. In particular, however, it is the spread of the tufting technique – and the birth of various amateur courses on the subject – that is fuelling this trend.

This trend also emerges from Paris Design Week, currently running until 16 September. Doing some research and keeping an eye on the Maison&Object Paris fair in particular, we found a few perfect and very interesting examples to illustrate what we are talking about.
The first is the Milanese brand Mohebban, which has dedicated its research to carpets for years and this year presented them at PDW in a super contemporary key. The booth in fact hosts a series of rugs made by designers and artists hung on the walls as if they were real works of art. In fact, this new trend very often sees rugs used as tapestries and not as pieces of furniture to be placed on the floor. Guests at the Mohebban booth are designers Ilaria Franza, Miguel Ruguero, Elena Caponi and Studio Zero, founded by Anna Seminara and Maria Francesca Cicirelli. What they have in common is an elegant design, characterised by warm colours in the palette of beiges and greens, as well as refined execution. We are particularly struck by the one created by Ilaria Franza, which at first glance seems to recall an organic, vegetal form.

Tactile capsule collection, Ilaria Franza, Wool, bamboo silk, viscose, jute hand-knotted in India

The second booth that struck us was the one by Doing Goods, which was decidedly more colourful and bold. The barbie-pink walls of the booth house a series of animal-shaped rugs. They themselves call their accessories ‘imperfect and fun’, like this carpet installation that seems to enclose all the animals of Noah’s ark.

The rugs are back
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