“THE EVER-PRESENT FUTURE OF DESIGN”

NILUFAR @Giovanni Nicelli Private Airport
Via R. Morandi, 9, 30126 Venice (IT)
Opening to the public from May 20th
From Monday to Saturday H. 10am — 6pm

A year after the partnership’s official announcement and in conjunction with the opening of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023, Giovanni Nicelli Private Airport and Nilufar present the new exhibition “The Ever-Present Future of Design”. Hosted in the hall of the 1920’s building and curated by Nina Yashar, the exhibition was conceived thinking of the intrinsic nature of connections and exchanges that resides within the space of the airport, and proposes the contemporary face of collectible design as informed by a journey through its history and present. Pieces from diverse ages, countries and creators, conjoin in a single but multiform language that discovers the future through vintage and contemporary creations.

he new exhibition reinforces Giovanni Nicelli Private Airport’s role of cultural pole promoting arts in the Lido, as begun in 2019 by the new president and administrator Maurizio Luigi Garbisa, alongside the director of marketing and events, Stefano Rampinelli, and the head of cultural and artistic direction, Laura Alfieri. Nina Yashar once again renders the arrivals/departures hall of the airport a stage to discover the excellence of collectible design, walking the thin and exquisite line between artistry and functionality. The travel begins with a large and varied showcase of pieces from the masters, belonging to different ages and nationalities, including: Pietro Consagra’s Metacubo (2003), Prominenza (1995), Doppio Bifrontale (2000), Ferro Rosso (2003) and Bianca Bianca (1976); Andrea Branzi’s Fuzzy Collection (2011); Edward J. Wormley’s two sofas (1950); Paolo Buffa’s pair of armchairs (1950); Carlo Scarpa’s Cornaro sofa and armchair models (1973); Franco Albini’s LB10 modular bookcase (1958); Ignazio Moncada di Paternò’s paintings (from 1973 to 2000s); Martin Eisler & Carlo Hauner’s cabinet (1960); Gio Ponti’s Pair of wall lamps (1950’s) ; Joaquim Tenreiro’s Two-Seats Sofa (1958). Moving to the contemporary selection, the new steel Libra Table by Atelier Lavit, originally conceived as an outdoor piece, is showcased indoor; a research for the minimum, the essential gesture that surfaces from the experimentation and understanding of the material itself. Khaled El Mays’ 2019 Flora Modular Seating System is also added to the exhibition; the natural world serves as main inspiration, in the quest of a novel interpretation within the living environment; also included is the designer’s Palmea collection’s low table and Nomad bench. A large selection of Martino Gamper’s works is exhibited, including two House Plan carpets (2021 and the Large and Small Upholstered Benches 01 and 02 (2016). The creations of contemporary designers, such as Analogia Project’s Luminaria (2017) and Goldfish modular table (2021), Lukas Wegwerth’s III + I tables from (2020), Domitilla Harding’s Vase Madrem and Vase Eleonora Duse (2018), Odd Matter’s Guise table lamp (2020) and Draga & Aurel’s Jade coffee tables (2022) dialogue within the space. To complement the display, Besana Carpet Lab had landed the distinct moquette. “Giovanni Nicelli Private Airport is permeated by magic: it reminds us of all the richness travelling offers and of the beauty that crossing borders can bring. You almost lose the dimension of time when entering the space, offering the unique headspace and possibility of actually rethinking and rediscovering time. In this scenario, my desire was to showcase pieces that have and still define today the future of collectible design” states Yashar.

“I am thrilled to welcome back my dear friend Nina Yashar to Nicelli Private Airport and continue this journey together. Our aim is to make the most of the space and we are willing to do things that are not necessarily commercial. The hall of the airport and the Ex Esso space will be open to projects of any kind, the only criteria being that they should be as exceptional and singular as the situation and space itself” declares Alfieri. With the new exhibition, Nilufar continues to be part of the long history of Giovanni Nicelli, the oldest commercial Italian airport. Founded in Venice in 1926, it instantly became a strategic location to reach European capitals in just a few hours. An institutional gem only ten minutes away from Giardini della Biennale, the airport hosts approximately 7000 private flights a year and extends over 3000 square metres with two garden areas, two terraces, a hangar and a sophisticated restaurant. It was defined as the best and most modern in Italy when inaugurated in 1935 by the Duke of Genoa: the airport remains a prime and rare example of 1920’s style, with the hall enriched with paintings commissioned to the futurist artist Tato, the furnishings, balustrades and fixtures designed by the architect Mario Emmer, and the decorations and interiors entrusted to Giovanni Nei Pasinetti. The Airport is set in the sophisticated frame of the Lido island, renowned for its magical atmosphere gifted by the seafront, the villas in Liberty architecture and the yearly Venice Film Festival. Such a culturally dense context is the ideal setting to stage Nina Yashar’s scenographies: a hybrid space that looks to the future through the dialogue between vintage and contemporary creations. Through its deep knowledge and appreciation of excellence, Nilufar narrates a story that belongs to us all, one that travels through time and countries.

Ph. credits: Andrea Pugliotto