On 19 October the Fondazione Cologni’s exhibition Mirabilia: A Wunderkammer of Milanese Arts and Crafts opened at the Quadreria of Triennale Milano, and can be visited free of charge until 10 January 2021. Mestieri d’Arte & Design. Crafts Culture is the space devoted to the arts and crafts in which events linked to craftsmanship and design will be staged for a year with the precise aim of drawing attention to and reviving interest in a world that represents a true competitive advantage for the culture and economy of Italy, that of high craftsmanship. It is necessary to lessen the distance between the public and the crafts, exposing above all the younger generations to the culture of beauty and the well-made in order to open up new directions for the application of creativity to the excellence of products made in Italy: objectives that are more vital than ever to an economic recovery based on sustainability and talent.
Mirabilia aims to raise the profile of a significant selection of Milanese master craftsmen and women who are still making original and authentic objects with great creativity, inspiring wonder and admiration. Around forty contemporary pieces have been chosen to represent the ‘secrets of the craft’ of the same number of artisan workshops and factories located in the city of Milan: whether they are one-off pieces or produced in small runs, they have a profound artistic and cultural significance. The dialogue is enriched by four precious objects dating from the Renaissance, also linked to Milan and lent by important cultural institutions, that present parallels with contemporary creativity. Special and significant works, therefore, that were produced by the craft workshops of the time as exquisite and surprising artefacts: objects in which the value of the handmade evokes the centrality of talented craftsmanship and its interaction with the creative design for which Milan is rightly celebrated.
Find out more at mirabiliamilano.it
