Not a simple exhibition, but an artistic research: this is the core of the exhibition ‘Modules, thoughts and images. Ceroli 74-Zoboli 24‘, staged by the Spazio RT design gallery in Milan and open until 15 July. The event highlights the encounter between two distinct works that have never been presented together: ‘Pensieri e immagini di Daria’ (1974) by Mario Ceroli and ‘Tra-vasi’ (2024), the first ceramic work by Francesca Zoboli.
For the first time, the public can admire ‘Pensieri e immagini di Daria’, an unpublished sculpture by Ceroli consisting of 25 rough pine wood panels. This work, which mixes symbolic geometries, elementary structures and irregular shapes, was originally conceived for an editorial project published in 1974 by Giampaolo Prearo Editore, in which his black and white photographs were flanked by 25 graphic works by Giuseppe Chiari. The sculpture was then placed as a wall covering in the house of a collector, with careful contextualisation by Ceroli himself. This work reflects Ceroli’s vision that art should break out of its conventional framework and become an integral part of everyday life.
The founders of Spazio RT, Antonio and Jacopo Tabarelli de Fatis, wanted to explore the often blurred boundaries between art, applied art and interior architecture. To do so, they involved Francesca Zoboli, a visual designer and painter known for her long experience in the applied arts and her relentless artistic research. The result is ‘Tra-vasi’, a ceramic work composed of four vertical panels forming a column almost three metres high. This work, produced in a limited edition of 30 pieces by a craft workshop in Bassano del Grappa, represents an exploration of the theme of the vase, an archetype that Zoboli had already investigated in his book “Travasi” (2021), published by La Grande Illusion.
The Milan exhibition is enriched by the illustrations in this volume, which are presented as numbered and signed fine art digital prints, emphasising the integration between the works on display and real life. The exhibition is complemented by a series of domestic elements, including furniture designed by Spazio RT and unique pieces of historical design, presented in a deconstructed form, almost halfway through their creative process. This expedient invites the viewer to reflect on the dynamics of form and the evolving nature of objects, transforming the act of observation into a part of the creative process itself.
In summary, “Modules, Thoughts and Images. Ceroli 74-Zoboli 24′ offers a unique and multifaceted view of art as a dynamic and integrated element in everyday life, inspiring a new perception of the boundary between art and life.Modules, thoughts and images. Ceroli 74-Zoboli 24
