andrea branzi: figurine + dida at design gallery milano

'figure 5' by andrea branzi at design gallery milano
image courtesy of ruy teixeira


italian architect, designer, and theorician andrea branzi is not interested in understanding the
differences between design and art. instead he is interested in creating objects with narrative
instilled both by him and in the stories associated with how his pieces are used by others. the
'figures' series on display at design gallery milano as part of milan design week 2011 'contaminate
the unduly self-referential language of design and desecrate the untouchability of art' by creating
not only a series of small hand painted sculptural forms but also a series of wall hanging paintings
with shelves built into them.



'figure 5'
image © designboom


these forms, and their presentation, cross long established borders between art and design and the
traditional conceptions that seem to arise when the two are crossed. the pieces, made from mixed
media, oil paints, cast and enameled solid aluminum, interact with each other and the viewer by
allowing for the pieces to be moved and changed while standing in their presence. dramatically
improving the compositions by simply moving a few objects around on the same canvas, branzi
has created a dynamic system that produces seemingly finished traditional art pieces with a shelf
life at the whim of the viewer.



(left) detail of 'figure 5'
(right) detail of 'figure 4'
images © designboom



'figure 4'
image courtesy of ruy teixeira



'figure 2'
image courtesy of ruy teixeira



'figure 3'
image © designboom



detail of 'figure 3'
image © designboom



detail
image © designboom



detail
image © designboom

figurines
images courtesy of ruy teixeira