Avant-garde art by Alchimia on display

An art exhibition showcasing the Alchimia group, one of the artistic movements that shaped Italian design, art and architecture, is running at the Korea Foundation Cultural Center.

“The exhibition ‘Drawings by Alchimia,’ bears witness to one of the great periods of the Italian artistic movement and especially to the synergy among artistic creativity, architecture and design in their different expressions,” said Italian Cultural Institute Director Lucio Izzo.

Around 50 original drawings, projects, and graphic art are on display until Sept. 16.

“The drawings, projects and graphic works exhibited in Seoul document the creativity of Alchimia movement,” said Izzo.

“They are one of the most vital groups in Italian avant-garde design evolution, starting from their theory of romantic design.’”

From 1976 to 1992, the Alchimia group reached fame by elevating ordinary items into works of art.

Izzo explained that the group introduced novel, avant-garde artistic elements into furniture, clothing, and other daily products currently in circulation.

The group has been responsible for important installations such as the Century Room at Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara, the Praise of Banality for the Venice Biennale, The Textbook Room at Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Bologna, The House of the Newly-weds at Milano Triennale, Infinite Furniture at the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo and Kyoto, Fin-de-Siecle Rooma at the Centre Geroge Pompidou in Paris and many others.

“We can now relive, through the 50 exhibited drawings, the crucial moments and the turning points, and we can discover the secrets of a very original and authentically Italian creative path,” he said.

For inquiries, contact the Italian Cultural Institute at (02) 796-0634 or the Korea Foundation Cultural Center at (02) 2151-6520

For directions to the center, visit www.kfcenter.or.kr.

By Yoav Cerralbo (yoav@heraldcorp.com)