Concept
ADI Design Museum presents the exhibition Fotografia alla Carriera. A Tribute of Italian Photography to the Masters of the Compasso d’Oro, an exhibition project curated by Giovanni Chiaramonte and Michele Nastasi.
On October 18, in the spaces of ADI Design Museum, opens Fotografia alla Carriera. A Tribute of Italian Photography to the Masters of the Compasso d’Oro, the new exhibition dedicated to the Compasso d’Oro Lifetime Achievers. A collection of 151 images in poster format, a mirror of contemporary Italian photography.
After the success of the previous edition dedicated to graphics, this time the protagonist is photography, which offers an original reading of the Compasso d’Oro alla Carriera awards. The exhibition presents itself as an opportunity to reflect on the link between design and photography, a dialogue that goes beyond the purely instrumental use of the image and that has contributed to the success of design products and the spread of a real design photography.
Underlying the project is the historical research conducted by the curators, Giovanni Chiaramonte and Michele Nastasi, which has brought to light the low visibility reserved for photography in relation to design from the 1950s to the present, despite its importance and pervasiveness in constructing the imaginary of Italian design.
“The need for a dialogue between disciplines,” says Luciano Galimberti, president of ADI Associazione per il Disegno Industriale, “is a cornerstone of the operating method of Italian design; too often this practice is neglected in a self-referential process that risks distancing us from the values that the world recognizes in Italian design.”
The historical research behind the project’s conception guided the curators in their choice to pair contemporary photographers with six great photographers from the past, each of whom approached design from unique perspectives, helping to define its image and narrate its context. Each invited protagonist approached this “homage” in absolute freedom of expression, returning a snapshot of the protagonists of Italian design and an overview of the state of the art of Italian photography.
The exhibition, therefore, stands not only as a tribute of contemporary photographers to the Compasso d’Oro, but as a reflection on photography itself, and a recognition of the uniqueness, complexity and excellence of the photographic field that has been formed over time in relation to Italian design.
In line with the previous edition and ADI’s intent to preserve and promote active memory, the new edition is also presented as a participatory experience, allowing each visitor the opportunity to take their most beloved poster with them.
The exhibition is realized with the contribution of Fedrigoni and Mapei.
