Photography Exhibition Fabio Sandri – IO | N at Gaggenau DesignElementi Hub

The “IO | N” exhibition, dedicated to the master of camera-less photography Fabio Sandri, is open until July 29^th in Milan.

“Who am I? The other. I am the environment I live in; I am never alone” The exhibition marks the start of the artistic series “EXTRAORDINARIO”, edited by Sabino Maria Frassà and supported by Gaggenau and Cramum to reinvent the future. The main theme of these exhibitions in Milan and Rome is the relationship between the human being and the urban, social and architectural environment.

The “IO | N” (I – Us) exhibition marks the start of the artistic series “Extraordinario” on display at Gaggenau DesignElementi in Milan, promoted by Gaggenau and Cramum and aimed to reinvent the future. Sabino Maria Frassà, creator and curator, developed a project related to the analysis of the relationship between the human being and the urban, social and architectural environment.

“IO | N” is open until July 29^th and showcases a series of works by Fabio Sandri, master of camera-less photography, a technique through which he can organize huge photographic exhibitions without using his camera. In this exhibition, Fabio Sandri aims to explain how photography can help us experiencing the world around us in its true essence, beyond the dimensions we see.

The works become part of the Milanese environment and tell an intense story about the process of becoming aware of the other, of ourselves, a dichotomy that can be found in the title of the exhibition as well.

“According to Sandri, there is no degree of separation between the ego and the other. Who am I? The other. I am the reality, the environment I live in, I am never alone. Therefore, I am everything that is different from me, I am an endless US”, explains the curator Sabino Maria Frassà. He also says: “The huge “Rooms” hanging on the walls are systematic and complementary to the other design elements in the showroom. These elements become an essential part of the exhibition: a bedroom hanging from the wall near a real kitchen. The result is a kaleidoscope of meaning and fascination, open to endless interpretations and references to great artists like Bacon, Giacometti and especially Vedova, who has always been able to go beyond the boundaries of contemporary art”.

In Fabio Sandri’s works, light becomes an instrument to reveal reality. The artist explores the photographic medium in its essence, that is the print on a light-sensitive plate, directly in contact with the materiality of places. The photographic paper is used to create and it envelopes in just one dimension all the other dimensions related to the environment inhabited by the individual. However, the individual is not the main character but just one of the elements of this coexistence. “IO | N” is a true meditation related to where I end and the other begins. However, this distinction doesn’t really exist since the artist, by eliminating the use of camera, is part of his work; he is one of the elements of that environment.

Similarly, in the “Self-portraits” series, the spectators become the creators of the final image by consciously deciding for how long they will stand still. “Fabio Sandri leads us to make decisions, to meditate on ourselves in our environment, asking us to resist and stand still to stamp our image on the photographic plate through a video. In our fast-paced society, many people can’t do this and that is why many self-portraits are blurred images of ghosts and holograms in the environment”, says the curator. The image disappears in the last work on display, “INCARNATO – FILTRO” (COMPLEXION – FILTER), that is a site-specific piece, a collective self-portrait, the “US” created throughout the entire exhibition. This “US” will include all the spectators’ prints, but also the environment we live in and that we are deeply part of.

EXTRAORDINARIO

Art and design as drivers of the extraordinary, ways to explore a reality that – as suggested by the Latin etymology extra – goes beyond what we see and perceive. This is the main concept behind “Extraordinario”, a series of exhibitions conceived by Cramum’s artistic director, Sabino Maria Frassà, for the design brand Gaggenau to start reinventing the future.

Art and design allow us to go beyond reality: they transform materials, giving us instruments to see the world in a different way and appreciate its excellency. Gaggenau has always been a supporter of this excellency by promoting projects related to an unknown reality and creating a real conversation with the future.

“Extraordinario” is a collaboration between Gaggenau and Cramum aimed to find the extraordinary value of what is around us, where art and design are intertwined, both able to go beyond the ordinary by exploring and highlighting the potential of materials and the environment.

Throughout 2021, these exhibitions will enliven Gaggenau DesignElementi showrooms in Milan and Rome, taking inspiration from the elements at the core of Gaggenau’s design and success: light and invisibility – starting points of the brand’s quest for beauty – and the use of materials such as glass, metal and wood that have always been a symbol of the German brand.

Four artists will lead us towards the discovery of the extraordinary around us that also represents a new start for everyone. The main theme of the exhibitions is a meditation on the relationship between the human being and the urban, social and architectural environment. The “Extraordinario” series starts from the hub in Milan with Fabio Sandri’s “IO | N” (I – Us) exhibition. The show continues in Rome where the TTozoi duo will present “Fiori invisibili” (“Invisible flowers”), an exhibition of molds, aimed to underline how the “collaboration” between human beings and nature can create masterpieces.

In autumn, Fulvio Morella will examine the contemporary architectural syncretism in the “Pars Construens” exhibition: on display a series of works never seen before, made by combining wood with turned steel, copper and Braille writing “Extraordinario” will end in Rome with “S-Composizioni” (S-Compositions), a solo show dedicated to Francesca Piovesan. The exhibition will focus on the meaning of human and universal harmony through light and mirrors.

Fabio Sandri – IO | N at Gaggenau DesignElementi
Gaggenau DesignElementi Hub
Corso Magenta 2
20123 Milano
Monday–Friday from 10.00 am to 19.00 pm.
Saturday on appointment.
More information on Gaggenau website

For further information Elisa Ottolini, international press officer : [email protected]