On the occasion of its sixth edition, Lake Como Design Festival enriches its program with a series of exhibitions and special events in Como and around its lake. Developed around the theme of 'lightness', this new event will guide visitors through a widespread journey. The exhibitions will be open to visitors until 22 September 2024.
In the historic centre of Como, the festival will take place between the Palazzo del Broletto and the Church of San Pietro in Atrio, while on the lakeside, Villa del Grumello and other locations within the Chilometro della Conoscenza will take centre stage. Villa Anna in Cernobbio and Borgovico33 in the city center will present two special projects by the Grieder Contemporary gallery. Various locations scattered across Como will host site-specific installations created by the artist Valerio Eliogabalo Torrisi. Additionally, three tailored projects will be displayed in the courtyard of Hilton Lake Como, inside the premises of Hotel Villa Flori, and in the lobby of Sheraton Lake Como Hotel.
'Lightness, the theme we have chosen for this year's edition, can be expressed in countless forms and can find its reason for being in all the different realms of creativity,' states Lorenzo Butti, the creator and artistic director of the festival. 'Developing exhibitions and special projects that can propose a dialogue between art and design has always been the stylistic feature of our program. Every year, we strive to offer our visitors a new way of looking at these disciplines and at creativity in general, inserting the exhibitions into unique architectural contexts which can themselves be an integral part of the exhibition itinerary.'
Within the late Renaissance premises of Villa del Grumello, the festival will host the exhibition Lightness in Progress, a selection of works, projects, objects, and furnishing accessories from different galleries, design studios, and archives. This exhibition aims to develop a path around the theme of lightness in its broadest sense. As in a widespread kunsthalle, the scenographic greenhouses and other spectacular sites of the Chilometro della Conoscenza will host the projects of the Contemporary Design Selection, an exhibition dedicated to independent design curated for the second consecutive year by Giovanna Massoni. Furthermore, the ancient dock of the villa will serve as the stage for the audio/video installation Paesaggi d'acqua by Stefano Larotonda and Niccolò Nessi, with the narrating voice of Giuseppe Innocente.
In the city centre, the Palazzo del Broletto will feature the exhibition The Form of Lightness, offering a glimpse into the theme of lightness expressed in over 100 years of designing a fundamental element of furniture: the chair.
The thirteenth-century Church of San Pietro in Atrio will host Lightness on Paper, an exhibition project created to celebrate the 35 years of Lithos, a Como publishing house specializing in prints and art books. This exhibition will present new works created by some of the most well-known and appreciated Italian and international architects, designers, and creatives.
The unprecedented location of Spazio Natta will showcase the creative duo Erlands and Bai Bai with 8 Days of Lightness, where collectibles invite the transformation of inner awareness into bodily movement through active impulses.
Among the special projects, a series of site-specific installations by the artist Valerio Eliogabalo Torrisi will engage various city locations with ad hoc works. The Swiss gallery Grieder Contemporary will exhibit works by the artist Jorinde Voigt in the Borgovico 33 exhibition space, and in its new headquarters at Villa Anna in Cernobbio, it will set up the collective exhibition Weight of Illumination.
Finally, to celebrate the festival's bond with the hospitality sector in Como, Hilton Lake Como, Hotel Villa Flori, and Sheraton Lake Como Hotel will host, for the first time, site-specific installations within the official festival program. A series of seats by Jonathan Bocca titled A Piedi Nudi will be on display at Hilton Lake Como. Sheraton Lake Como will host works by Belgian designer Thomas Serruys titled Resourcer, while Hotel Villa Flori will feature the installation Micare Obscure by Dora Stanczel + Pietre Trovanti.
More information:
Lake Como Design Selection
www.lakecomodesignfestival.com