Kartell Land
From 23rd November 2019 until 30th May 2020, the iADC – International Art Design Center in Shenzhen, China, hosts “Kartell Land – Celebrating 70 years of Italian Design History”, an exhibition that recounts the evolution of Kartell, the values underpinning its industrial output and its design through highly immersive installations. Kartell looks keenly to China, addressing an audience which passionately embraces a brand that is a symbol of excellence made in Italy, a champion of industrial design and development for the past seventy years. China responds with like interest, hosting this monographic show which presents the past and future of the company with an exhibition itinerary, curated by Ferruccio Laviani, spread across two floors of the museum, covering an area of some 1500 m². With the aid of objects combined with audiovisual and graphic supports, the exhibition looks at specific themes, offering a comprehensive reading of the brand’s entire output through the development of creativity, design, aesthetic taste and materials. A veritable universe that draws visitors into a sort of story hovering between the real world and a dreamlike state, precisely because it is such a unique and colourful world, which is why the decision was taken to call it “Kartell Land”. The exhibition actually begins from the area immediately outside the Museum, where an installation comprised of giant, disconnected 3-D lettering welcomes visitors and provides an introduction to the exhibition. The exhibition itself is divided into 9 thematic areas and features a selection of products from the permanent collection of the Kartell Museum, plus products that over the past 30 years have become veritable brand icons, the culmination of industrial manufacturing with continuous evolution and technological innovation at its core. Claudio Luti, president of Kartell, underlines “We are honoured to have been invited by the iADC to tell our manufacturing story. This exhibition installation, which toys with the unconventional emotion of product display, allows us to present Kartell in an innovative way, illustrating our creative journey and our processes of continuous innovation. Today Shenzhen is recognised as one of China’s major hubs for high-tech industries and an important centre for the development of creativity in design applied to various sectors. We decided to open a Flagship store here last year, so we are proud to have the opportunity, through this exhibition, to show the Chinese public the emotional side of Kartell too”.