White in the City

Four prestigious venues in the heart of Milan turned white with works and installations by architects and designers, enriching the imagery elicited by whiteness. #MDW2017

“It’s easy to say white. There’s the refined and the tacky, and every shade has its own character,” writes Haruki Murakami. But just how many shades of white are there? Find the answer at “White in the City”, with seven exhibitions set in four prestigious venues in fascinating and historic buildings of Brera.

“White Architecture” in the courtyard of the Brera art gallery comprises two installations by Giulio Cappellini, while the colonnade houses temporary installations by outstanding architects and designers. There’s a ladder by Patricia Urquiola for “spying” on passers-by, geometric structures by Daniel Libeskind and Stefano Boeri’s marble embraces. Again an immersion in white with David Chipperfield, the parametric forms of Zaha Hadid Design and a tactile dip into Aires Mateus’s sinuous installation. “White Luxury” (in Brera’s Salla della Passione) presents a combination of white and luxury, in collaboration with Marco Piva and big names in the fashion world.

At the Brera Academy, “White Beyond Blank” presents the results of analyses and tests carried out in collaboration with the departments of the Academy on the theme of white, explored through the practices of architecture, the visual arts and design. White becomes colour, sculpture and an instrument of analysis.

At Palazzo Cusani, “White Icons” hosts an exhibition curated by Giulio Cappellini. It examines leading products and materials characterized by white which have become reference points. Present are iconic pieces by eighteen companies, and “White on White” with installations by architects and designers. Among them Jasper Morrison, 5+1AA, Studio Mamo and many others.

“White Ben-Essere”, San Carpoforo Church, 2017 “White Ben-Essere”, San

“White Well-Being” in the former church of San Carpoforo features the enormous white range from Oikos. It focuses on the company’s commitment to protecting the ecosystem and the personal care by eliminating formaldehyde from its products. The installation, designed by DAS 16.8 – B. Candoni, S.Gortana – gives form and depth to the visual perception of wellbeing.

Finally, “White Innovative Class Space” (Via Burigozzo 1/B) brings together white and innovative objects created for the welfare of environments by designers from around the world. Participants include Matteo Cibic, Lanzavecchia + Wai and Elena Salmistraro.