quartier21/MuseumsQuartier
Featured Designers:
Antonio Marras, Franco Ciambella, Gai Mattiolo, Gattinoni, Angelo Litrico, Marella Ferrera, Raffaella Curiel, Sarli, Emilio Frederico Schuberth, Sorelle Fontana, Valentino, Giorgio Armani, Enrico Coveri, Krizia, Laura Biagiotti, Max Mara, Missoni, Moschino, Prada, Pucci, Roberta di Camerino, Versace, Walter Albini, Michela Carraro, Valeria Farina, Maria Girelli, Karisia Paponi, Antonio Piccirilli
Opening on December 9, “50 ± anni di moda italiana” is the next installment in the freiraum quartier21 INTERNATIONAL exhibition series launched in October. The show features haute couture and prêt-á-porter models by prominent Italian designers like Emilio Pucci, Prada, Gai Mattiolo or Krizia starting with the 1950s as well as pieces by emerging talents of the current generation.
Conceived as a survey of Italian fashion history, the exhibition contrasts examples of traditional alta moda with works by young designers in the contemporary part of the show. It was organized and produced by the Italian Embassy and the Italian Cultural Institute in Vienna, and the curators Fiorella Galgano and Alessia Tota of Studio Galgano in Rome in collaboration with the Austrian curator team Angelika Höckner and Gerald Moser.
“Fashion plays an important role in everyday life, but at the same time it’s a discipline where lifestyle and art intersect,” says Dr. Wolfgang Waldner, director of the MuseumsQuartier Wien. “This is why fashion has been one of the core focuses of quartier21 alongside digital culture and design for several years. The show “50 ±anni di moda italiana” explores the legend of Italian fashion in these changing times. In addition to well-known designers, it also presents works by young talents, including several participants in the quartier21 Artist-in-Residence program. As a consequence, it integrates important international aspects.”
We tend to associate Italian fashion with elegance and exceptional quality and workmanship. The objective of the exhibition is to use models by important couturiers from the last fifty years to demonstrate what makes Italian haute couture unique and illustrate its relationship with “alta moda pronto”, the Italian version of “prêt-á-porter”. “We deliberately avoided a linear, chronological presentation in order to give visitors an insight into the connections and relationships within Italian fashion history,” explain curators Angelika Höckner and Gerald Moser.
For example, a gold sequin duffle coat by Max Mara (2007) is juxtaposed with a gold lamé coat by Emilio Schuberth (1958), and a polyester dress by Emilio Pucci (1967) is compared with a jungle print dress by Versace worn by actress Jennifer Lopez in 2000. A silver dress by Prada from the same year is shown alongside a wedding dress designed by Sarli (1974).
The second part of the exhibition showcases designs by five young Italian fashion designers, two of whom (Karisia Paponi and Antonio Piccirilli) are also quartier21 artists-in-residence at the MuseumsQuartier. While Karisia Paponi’s enchantingly feminine collection is inspired by the sculptural character of porcelain, Antonio Piccirilli adopts an analytical approach to design and embarks on a search for authenticity in the context of concealing and revealing. Valeria Farina, who creates her accessories from bread dough, delights in experimenting with unusual materials. Committed to the idea of producing wearable young fashion, Maria Girelli takes her cue from current trends. Flowing feminine cuts influenced by traditional Japanese sewing arts are Michela Carraro’s signature style.
But as different as these designers are, they all have one thing in common: the past plays an important role in their quest for new designs, bringing them full circle with traditional “alta moda”.
freiraum quartier21 INTERNATIONAL
The objective of the newly launched program series freiraum quartier21 INTERNATIONAL is to present to a broad public more international exhibitions and projects than ever in quartier21’s core creative disciplines (fashion, design, and digital culture). This concept is being promoted through close cooperation with the Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMeiA) and its cultural forums outside of Austria as well as the official foreign cultural institutions represented in Vienna and other partners from Austria and abroad.
“50 ± anni di moda italiana”
Dec 10, 2009 – Jan 20, 2010
Daily 10 am – 7 pm, freiraum quartier1 INTERNATIONAL
Free admission
http://quartier21.mqw.at
Tour for the Press: Dec 9, 11.00 am
Dr. Wolfgang Waldner, Director, MuseumsQuartier Wien
Alessia Tota , Exhibition Curator, Studio Galgano, Rome
Angelika Höckner and Gerald Moser, Exhibition Curators
Location: freiraum quartier21 INTERNATIONAL, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna
Opening: Dec 9, 6 pm
Dr. Wolfgang Waldner, Director, MuseumsQuartier Wien
Ambassador Dr. Emil Brix, Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs
Ambassador Dr. Massimo Spinetti, Italian Embassy in Vienna
Alessia Tota , Curator of the Exhibition, Studio Galgano, Rome
Angelika Höckner and Gerald Moser, Exhibition Curators
Location: freiraum quartier21 INTERNATIONAL, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna
