carlo mollino’s polaroids on view at kunsthalle vienna

carlo mollino: un messaggio dalla camera oscura
kunsthalle vienna project space
august 31st – september 25th, 2011

the kunsthalle vienna project space presents ‘carlo mollino: un messaggio dalla camera oscura’, an exhibition of the italian architect, designer, photo artist and writer who also made a name for himself as an active skier, race car driver and aerobatic pilot. his furniture designs and interiors executed in the spirit of the ‘gesamtkunstwerk’, the organic language of forms seen across his work, was influenced by that of the female body. this is particularly evidenced by the private photographic work he kept which included over 1,000 polaroids portraying beauties of turin’s night life in the nude in mise-en-scène settings. these photographs were part of the preparation of his ‘house for the warrior’s rest’, known today as casa mollino, a villa in turin, situated along the po river.

this exhibition presents for the first time, a juxtaposition of furnishings from mollino’s villa with a selection of these photographic works. the show explores the boundaries and bridges between his universal artistic erotic imagination of the male and his intellectual and artistic attitude. the exhibition has been curated by gerald a. matt, the project is realized in cooperation with the museo casa mollino, turin. also… for visitors of the vienna design week 2011, don’t miss visiting this excellent show!

carlo mollino, untitled polaroid, 1962-73
image courtesy museo casa mollino

carlo mollino, untitled polaroid, 1962-73
image courtesy museo casa mollino

carlo mollino, untitled polaroid, 1962-73
image courtesy museo casa mollino

cover of the book dedicated to photography by mollino: ‘the message from the darkroom’, 1949

one of the framed wall prints of butterflies by mollino in ‘house of butterflies’
image courtesy museo casa mollino

roccoco clock chosen by mollino
image courtesy museo casa mollino

interiors of casa mollino
image courtesy museo casa mollino

entrance of casa mollino
image courtesy museo casa mollino

carlo mollino, circa 1935
image courtesy museo casa mollino

‘kunsthalle wien’, outside view of the exhibition space
image courtesy museo casa mollino

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vienna design week runs from september 30th to october 9th, 2011. the aim of  is to show and enable people to experience the many facets of creative work in the fields of product, furniture and industrial design as well as experimental design. designboom is an official media partner, stay tuned for more coverage of this year’s event!