galerie kreo exhibits mendini's eclectic works with 'caro alessandro'

alessandro mendini honored at galerie kreo

From March 9th to May 6th 2023, Parisian ‘laboratory space’ Galerie Kreo will honor the late Italian designer and architect Alessandro Mendini with the exhibition Caro Alessandro. Marking a 20-year friendship and collaboration between the gallery and designer, the event will showcase twenty of Mendini’s pieces. These include the ‘Kandissi’ sofa (1979), the ‘Poltrona di Proust, Bronzo’ (1990), and the ‘Cleome Elegans’ (1993), in addition to exclusive creations for the gallery like the ‘Lampada’, the ‘Poltrona white gold’, the ‘Umbria’ table, and the ‘Enigma’ stool.

images © Alexandra de Cossette, courtesy Galerie Kreo

a colorful + eclectic icon

Galerie Kreo‘s Caro Alessandro exhibition includes a new film that showcases a performance of dancer and choreographer Brandon Miel Masele. His talent, energy, and grace give a new interpretation of Alessandro Mendini’s modern work, which is centered around the ‘Poltrona white gold’ chair, which took inspiration from the renowned ‘Proust’ chair.

Pierre Charpin, a close friend and collaborator of Mendini, has added to the exhibition with a personal composition that imitates Mendini’s epistolary style. The display of the ‘All’aperto’ bench, which was signed by both Charpin and Mendini, further emphasizes the duo’s creative partnership, as it originated from their coordinated exhibition at Galerie Kreo in 2007.

a new film unveiled

Created for ‘Caro Alessandro, the new film featuring a dance performance by Brandon Miel Masele, is unveiled by Galerie Kreo as a tribute to Alessandro Mendini. As the gallery puts it, ‘this performance celebrates the deep and intimate connection between objects and the human body, around one of Mendini’s important works, the ‘Poltrona White Gold’.

‘A contemporary version of Mendini’s iconic ‘Poltrona di Proust’ — which itself was a reinterpretation of the classic ‘bergère’ armchair — the ‘Poltrona White Gold’ is coated with white gold mosaic tiles, and placed within the gallery’s Parisian space below a skylight. The armchair beams like a beacon, and serves as a shining focal point to Masele’s graceful movements. This film is the first in a new series of dance performances created around some of the gallery’s most emblematic pieces.’