Expo Enzo Mari

The exhibition Enzo Mari curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist with Francesca Giacomelli, presented in Triennale Milano from October 17, 2020 to September,12, 2021, consists first of all of a historical section, curated by Francesca Giacomelli featuring Mari’s work between 1952 and 2012, with the reproposal of the last exhibition project curated by the artist himself in 2008-2009 for GAM (Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea) in Turin. A global project including curatorship, exhibition design and catalogue. This gives a chronological overview of his entire oeuvre as a designer, artist, intellectual, utopian, art theorist and critic, without distinguishing between different disciplines, media or types of research.

The historical section includes the Research Platforms, nineteen in-depth studies provide insights into projects in which the fundamental themes of Mari’s research emerge. Sketches, iconographic research, models, prototypes, drawings, notes, many of which never published or shown… kept in the Mari’s studio archives at Piazzale Baracca in Milan, offer a handhold to understand and admire Mari’s work. A special section is dedicated to Mari’s Proposta per un’autoprogettazione, a free guide to hammering together your own furniture using a hammer, nails and wooden planks. Not just a DIY kit, but a revolutionary project in which he uses an elementary technique to invite everyone to make an exercise, to take a critical look at current production methods and disposable society.