'we' by maurizio cattelan
fiberglass structure, polyurethane rubber, wood, clothes
148 x 79 x 68 cm
courtesy maurizio cattelan; the dakis joannou collection, athens
image © designboom

a nomadic museum and agency for the promotion of contemporary art and culture, the fondazione nicola trussardi organizes
and produces major exhibitions specially conceived for forgotten buildings, architectural landmarks, and symbolic spaces around
its home territory of milan, restoring them and reopening them to the city and to the public.

bringing the foundation's work outside of milan for the first time, '8 1/2' showcases a selection of works of 13 international artists
to whom the fondazione nicola trussardi has dedicated ambitious solo exhibitions and public art projects over the past eight years.
opened in celebration of the hundredth anniversary of the fashion house trussardi, the exhibition was curated
by massimiliano gioni and produced in collaboration with the fondazione pitti discovery. it was set in florence's stazione leopolda,
a nineteenth-century former train station in the city's center.

as evoked by the title borrowed from federico fellini’s legendary film, '8 1/2' is a story in images,
an endless series of flashbacks and premonitions, memories and déjà vus.
works unfurl through the majestic train station leopolda like a carousel of dreams and
obsessions, fantasies and longings, touching both intimate, personal spheres and the social, collective realm.
'8 1/2' knits together scenes from real life and states of permanent hallucination, to create an gallery of wonder.

the exhibiting artists include: maurizio cattelan, paul mc carthy, tino sehgal, anri sala, paola pivi, urs fischer, john bock,
peter fischli & david weiss, martin creed, tacita dean, michael elmgreen & ingar dragset, darren almond.

'we' by maurizio cattelan, 2010
image © designboom

reflections on death and the fragility of life by italian artist maurizio cattelan.
see also the installation 'mise-en-scene' milan and the designboom interview with maurizio cattelan, 2004.



'we' by maurizio cattelan
image © designboom


image © designboom


image © designboom


image © designboom


image © designboom


image © designboom



'house of bread' by urs fischer, 2004
bread, wood, polyurethane foam, light
533 x 472 x 366 cm
courtesy urs fischer; il giardino dei lauri, citta della pieve, perugia
image © designboom

urs fischer’s house of bread seems to have come straight out of a fairy tale by the brothers grimm.
see urs fischer's solo exhibition in 2005 .


bread rests spread on a carpet
image © designboom


bread and expanding foam
image © designboom


image © designboom




'balloon' by pawel althamer, 1999-2007
nylon, polyester, acrylic, ropes, helium
2100 x 617 x 366 cm
commissioned and produced by fondazione nicola trussardi, milan
courtesy pawel althamer; neugerriemschneider, berlin; foksal gallery foundation, warsaw
image courtesy fondazione nicola trussardi

the giant self-portrait by polish sculptor pawel althamer - a balloon over 20 meters long - looms above the visitors' heads
like some outlandish, temporary public monument, hypertrophic and carnivalesque.

see 'one of many' by pawel althamer, a solo exhibition, organized by fondazione nicola trussardi in milan, 2007.



'balloon' by pawel althamer
image © designboom


detail of 'balloon' by pawel althamer
image © designboom


image © designboom



'one love' by paola pivi, 2007
300 x 387 cm
photo: hugo glendinning; courtesy paola pivi; galleria massimo de carlo, milan
image © designboom

visitors are plunged into a playful, yet tragic atmosphere with the unsettling juxtapositions of paola pivi’s images.
see also 'my religion is kindness. thank you, see you in the future.'



'meechfieber' by john bock, 2004
16mm film transferred to dvd, color, sound
commisioned and produced by fondazione nicola trussardi, milan
and carnegie international 2004-2005, carnegie museum of art, pittsburgh
courtesy john bock; klosterfelde, berlin; anton kern, new york
image courtesy fondazione nicola trussardi

in his film 'meechfieber' german artist john bock recounts grotesque events,
a potpourri of surreal machines, bric-a-brac spaceships, costumed animals and frenetic dances.
find out more about 'meechfieber' by john bock .


'if I had you' by darren almond, 2003
4-channel video installation, color, sound
commissioned and produced by fondazione nicola trussardi, milan
courtesy darren almond; jay jopling/white cube, london;
matthew marks gallery, new york; galerie max hetzler, berlin
image © designboom

'if I had you' - intimate, melancholy portraits shown within a 4-channel video installation by british artist darren almond.


'parts of a film with rat and bear' by peter fischli & david weiss, 2008
video, color, sound
produced with the support of fondazione nicola trussardi
courtesy peter fischli & david weiss; sprüth magers berlin london;
galerie eva presenhuber, zurich; matthew marks gallery, new york
image courtesy fondazione nicola trussardi


the surreal film parts of a film with a rat and a bear by swiss duo fischli and weiss, shot in palazzo litta during the major retrospective.
see more works from the fischli & weiss 'flowers and questions' exhibition in milan, 2008




'static (pink)' by paul mc carthy, 2004-2009
silicone
271 x 164 x 324 cm
courtesy paul mc carthy; hauser & wirth
image © designboom

paul mccarthy’s provocative, caustic depiction of george w. bush was one of the works shown in the american artist's
first solo exhibition 'pig island' at fondazione nicola trussardi.


'static (pink)' by paul mc carthy
image © designboom


close-up of 'static (pink)' by paul mc carthy
image © designboom


massimiliano gioni - curator and artisitic director of fondazione nicola trussardi
portrait © designboom



'everything is going to be alright' by martin creed (work 1086), 2011
white neon / 44 x 1250 cm
commissioned and produced by fondazione nicola trussardi, milan
courtesy martin creed; hauser & wirth
image © designboom

'everything is going to be alright', the neon sign by martin creed that stretches across the facade of stazione leopolda,
seems like a preface to this giant game, but it is also a warning: with its excessive enthusiasm, the work serves as
an ironic comment on what visitors will find beyond the threshold.
see also martin creed's solo show 'I like things' in milan, 2008.


'white car and trailer' by michael elmgreen & ingar dragset
installation at galleria vittorio emanuele, milan
image courtesy fondazione nicola trussardi

michael elmgreen & ingar dragset’s white car and trailer, a metaphor for global tourism, emerge from the floor after a long,
imaginary journey to the center of the earth. see also: michael elmgreen & ingar dragset: 'the collectors' at the nordic pavilion.



'long sorrow' by anri sala
image courtesy fondazione nicola trussardi

born in albania, based in paris, anri sala portrays the musical lament of saxophonist jemeel moondoc in his film long sorrow.



still cut from 'merce cunningham performs stillness...' by tacita dean, 2007
image courtesy fondazione nicola trussardi

shot in giorgio morandi’s former studio, 'still life' and 'day for night', two films by british born, german based artist tacita dean,
adopt a silent, contemplative mood even as they reveal the myriad stories that have lain hidden for decades.
see more at the 'still life' exhibition in milan, 2009.


the living sculptures directed by british artist tino sehgal are like alien presences that turn the spaces of stazione leopolda
into the perfect background for a new, enigmatic theater of the absurd: tino sehgal at the fondazione nicola trussardi.