press kit Elemania curated by Valentina Guidi Ottobri

press kit Elemania curated by Valentina Guidi Ottobri

MILANO, 18/09/2018 Elemania Opening 04/10/2018 19:00-22:00 Exhibition 05/10-26/10 10:00-13:00 cc-tapis showroom Piazza Santo Stefano, 10 20122 Milano Not to be confused with egocentricity, Elemania can be defined by the obsessive magnitism generated by the works of Elena Salmistraro in her first solo-show. This explains Elemania, the exhbition which cc-tapis has dedicated to the young sensation from the world of contemporary design celebrating her most recent works. Born in 1983, a Milanese with a rebel-soul, a maniac for texture and in love with documentaries, especially those about exotic animals. From early-on she manifested the desire to escape ordinary society through drawing, living in a routine which was often too grey and repetitive for someone who loved to isolate themselves in fantasty. It would be her drawings with strong black lines, which created the seperation between reality and imagination.flat colors without a shadow, reflect the intent of this multifaceted artist to represent the fictional elements which make her characters come to life, just like a fairy-tale, taking form full of real human traits and emotions, playing on the mundaneness of daily-life; suggesting a new philosophy for living. Unlike most designers of her time, Elena always starts her creative process with illustration, which she then shapes and transforms through sculpture and two-dimensional details. As in Flatland the novel by Edwin A. Abott, her collection of 6 rugs for cc-tapis, the geometric forms mix together overlapping with eachother, unaware of their energy, color and magic. In the universe of Elemania, the exhibition presents an excess of graphic symbols offering the viewer a stereoscopic but at the same time a two-dimensional image, which takes depth and volume away from the space but also teleports you to a territory suspended beyond the frame.

Creative mind elena salmistraro Product designer and artist, Elena Salmistraro lives and works in Milan. She graduated from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 2008 and in 2009 she founded her own studio together with architect Angelo Stoli, where she has been working on architectural and design projects ever since. Working as a product designer and artist/illustrator for some of the creative industry s leading companies, including Alessi, Bosa, Seletti, De Castelli, B-Line, Bitossi Home, LuisaViaRoma, Yoox, NasonMoretti, Massimo Lunardon, Okinawa, Texturae, Stone Italiana, Effecte, MyHomeCollection, Durame. She also collaborates with prestigious Art and Design Galleries, such as Dilmos, Rossana Orlandi, Camp Design Gallery and Secondome. Her creations are the result of a combination of art and design; which are characterized by a poetic style, the utmost care for details and a painstaking search for harmony in shapes. One of her work s objectives is to the exploration into an objects expressive language in order to fascinate people and evoke emotions. In 2016 she exhibited at both W-Women in Italian Design and Normali meraviglie La Mano at the Trinnale Design Museum of Milan. In 2017 she exhibited at L esercito delle spazzole at White in the City 2017 with Alessi, she won Best Emerging Designer Award at Salone del Mobile 2017 and was also appointed the Ambassador of Italian Design for the Italian Design Day an initiative promoted by the Triennale di Milano in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. Elena Salmistraro s works have been displayed at major Italian and international design industry fairs, including Salone Internazionale del Mobile(Milan), Step 09 (Milan), Maison&Objet Paris, Homi(Milan), and the Stockholm furniture and light fair. Her projects have been selected for art and design exhibitions around the world including: The New Italian Design organized by the Triennale Design Museum of Milan, the 2013 Shanghai Biennale and the 2015 Gwangju Biennale in South Korea.

Creative mind valentina guidi ottobri Valentina Guidi Ottobri works as a Buyer and Creative mind across the world of Art, Collectable Design and Fashion. Project manager and creator of Luisaviaroma Home Department. In addition to the careful selection of products for the company, she s developing Advertisin Campaings that combine fashion and design in completely new ways. Her works has been published in various international magazines including Ad, Vogue, Nylon, Atribune, Wallpaper, Marie Clarie and more. collaboration with SkyArte HD. Actively supporting the young talents generation with a series of stand-alone collections, created in collaboration with small artisanal studios or independently, in order to shines a light on the unique vision of each one and creative experimentation. She is the author of several design exhibits including Design on Water (2016) in about cc-tapis Born in France. Designed in Milan. Produced in Nepal. cc-tapis is an Italian company which produces contemporary hand-knotted rugs which are created in Nepal by expert Tibetan artisans. The company was founded by Nelcya Chamszadeh and Fabrizio Cantoni in France who have been producing hand-knotted rugs in Nepal for over 18 years. In 2011 cc-tapis moved to Milan where the company is now based and a team of designers lead by Daniele Lora, art-director and partner, innovate through a new approach to traditional methods. A strong respect for the materials and for the culture of this ancient craft is reflected in the company s eco-friendly approach to every step of production, ranging from the hand spinning of the softest Himalayan wool to the use of purified rainwater for the washing of the final products, making each one of cc-tapis rugs unique. Far from mass production, cc-tapis aims to offer a tailored service to those who understand and enjoy a high-end product, where a three month production time contains a story of age-less culture.

Flatlandia Collection standard color version produced by cc-tapis Rugs are transformed into two-dimensional universes inhabited by geometric shapes, just like in the novel Flatland, the fantastic story in multiple dimensions, written by Reverend Edwin A. Abbott in 1884. Triangles, lines, circles and squares overlap, meet and collide becoming conscious of eachother, just as they do in the novel, unaware of the colors and the magic they hold. The collection has two faces; one more tactile and rough, the other softer and lighter, one more intense and crowded, the other sober and sublime. A series of rugs which play with contrast exphasizing duality and the craftsmanship involved in their creation. It is no coincidence that the rugs have the names of famous mathematicians. Dimensions: 230x300 Material: Himalayan wool and cotton weave. EULERO EULERO OUTLINE materials: cotton weave, himalayan wool quality: B (89.000knots/sqm approx.) materials: cotton weave, himalayan wool quality: A (125.000 knots/sqm approx.)

PITAGORA PITAGORA OUTLINE materials: cotton weave, himalayan wool quality: B (89.000knots/sqm approx.) materials: cotton weave, himalayan wool quality: A (125.000 knots/sqm approx.) cartesio cartesio OUTLINE materials: cotton weave, himalayan wool quality: B (89.000knots/sqm approx.) materials: cotton weave, himalayan wool quality: A (125.000 knots/sqm approx.)

Flabelli standard color version produced by london art Archaic Egyptian fans, Flabelli (2018, London Art) were originally used in the past to provide a cooling breeze and protect the pharaoh from the sun rays, as well as to keep insects away from him. Later, they were employed in Christian church liturgies as well. Thanks to their unique and varied shapes, the rich feathers and enchanting structure s decorations, today they come back as the protagonists of these lovely wallpapers. The historical items thousand facets, allow using multiple colors, which, in this case, are light and non-invasive. The outcome is instantly reminiscent of contemporary flowers with a retro-chic hint, supported by the lozenge-shaped background emphasising the vintage trait and conceived as a sort of mixture that creates movement without tiring. flabelli

La Contessa Florinda standard color version produced by secondome gallery La Contessa Florinda (2017, Secondome Gallery) is a fetish, a totem, the iconic transcription of a woman, that might once have been beautiful, who, trying to find the divine recipe to not grow old, sadly sacrifices herself on the altar of plastic surgery, in the name of a theoretical ideal of beauty already out of reach. Armed with an extraordinary courage or full of cowardice, she accepts unconditionally the slow and unnatural changing who s making her become her own mockery. The search for the formal perfection, an abstract and unreal entity, will result in multiple unproportionate implants and horrible scars, unwilling signs of a great defeat. Dimensions: 40 cm height x 15 cm width x 8 cm depth Material: Ceramic, acrylic, plumage, modeling past LA CONTESSA FLORINDA

Medusa standard color version produced by camp gallery Medusa (2017, Camp Gallery) Turritopsis Nutricula is a small jelly fish, more commonly known as the Immortal Jellyfish: it has the unique ability to invert its own life cycle, and once reached adulthood, can transfer its cells back to childhood, in a hypothetical perpetual regeneration. This small being was discovered by the team of marine zoologists led by Ferdinando Boero, a well-known researcher dedicated to the divulgation and safeguarding of marine ecosystems in Italy and abroad and also known for his unique friendship with the guitarist Frank Zappa, who dedicated him a song: Lonesome cowboy Nando. Inspired by both the zoological and mythological Medusa (in Italian a jellyfish is a medusa), Elena Salmistraro has conceived a hanging seat. Trakatan s know-how in making handbags has made possible an unusual approach to leather: the soft material is not used simply as way of upholstering an existing structure, but rather it becomes the medusa itself. Dimensions: Total Height 192 cm, Diameter 81 cm Materials: Leather-Metal-Foam medusa

DORNETTE custom colors will be presented at the exhibition produced by bosa Dornette (2017, Bosa) decorative coating mix tradition and modernity, and are inspired by the infinite shapes of nature, with biomimetic results, in a unique cross-breeding between biology and technology. Made of fine ceramic, the elements are designed to give a classy look to residential and hospitality walls. Canyon and Cocoa are the first two projects in the collection, which create an unexpected three-dimensional effect: Canyon, with its geometric design, calls to mind geological stratifications, while Cocoa is inspired by the sinuous foliage lines. Dimensions: cm 20.5x20.5xh 3 Material: Ceramic dornette

Khepri custom colors will be presented at the exhibition produced by bosa Khepri (2015, Bosa). The ancient Egyptians regarded the scarab as a symbol of eternal rebirth, able to transfigure on earth, promising only happy events.noble traveler who moves forward in the name of the sun dragging the eternal ball of dung it ideally transforms into a new life, the scarab is the symbol of the man s constant evolution, through the free soul s reincarnations.today the scarab enters our homes as a ceramic container, intended as a protection for what we most loved, or merely as a sophisticated item whose added value consists in the spiritual component other past cultures attributed to it as well as the symbolic and ritual elements that reinforce its evocative value. The item, made of white earth (casting / mold), is decorated with matte/ glossy enamels combined to create a lovely visual contrast. The carapace takes contemporary artistic semblance through the 3D texture use along with light/dark effects that exalt the threedimensional surface. Precious metals embellish the container as 2D textures as well. Dimensions: h 40 cm x25 cm x 23 cm. Material: Ceramic. khepri

Loricato custom colors will be presented at the exhibition produced by bosa Loricato (2015, Bosa). An animal with predominantly nocturnal and underground habits, the armadillo lives in the shadows, fiercely facing any difficulty and bravely overcoming any insecurity, thanks to its massive defensive armor. Due to these peculiarities, Native Americans considered it as a unique animal, a sort of inspiring guiding light, able to reassure and comfort the soul, reject hostilities, and overcome fears. The Loricato s symbolic, initiatic and social meaning lies in its armor, which today enters our homes as a container, a guardian of our most precious things, a protection for what we love most. The ceramic-made armor takes an artistic natural appearance to become a memory keeper reminding us of the close relationship we had with animals, whose presence in our life has gradually reduced due to the man s choice to live in large urban areas. The item, made of white earth (casting / mold), is decorated with glossy/matte enamels combined to add an intriguing visual contrast. The 3D textures are delicately embossed with light / dark effects underlining the surface three-dimensionality. Precious metals used as 2D textures embellish the container as well. Dimensions: h 40 cm x 27 cm x 26 cm. Material: Ceramic. LORICATO

Polifemo standard color version produced by castelli Polifemo (2013, de Castelli) is a cabinet, an innovative aesthetical version of a piece of furniture that everyone owns in their houses. With his oblong legs and a single big eye, the huge Cyclops, who in the Odyssey clashes with Ulysses and is made blind by his alter ego Nobody, comes back to our homes as an extraordinary piece of furniture. In the designer s eyes the giant mirrors exactly the cupboard-container peculiarities: the large, central eye becomes a handle and the robust body is supported by slender metal legs, producing an eccentric play of weights that generates a desired visual imbalance. As a scenic container, Polifemo decorates your home with great and evocative power. A wooden structure, featuring an external metal coat embellished with ornamental carvings to enrich and strengthen the object s own nature. Designed for DeCastelli, Polifemo is included in the Tracing Identity project curated by Evelina Bazzo. Products still life photos by Massimo Gardone, portraits by Gianluca Vassallo. Dimension: h 165 cm x 85 cm x 31 cm Materiali: Metal, wood POLIFEMO

Primates custom colors will be presented at the exhibition produced by bosa Primates (2017, Bosa) a collection of vases in fine ceramic, a contemporary reinterpretation of ancient Roman pottery, famous for its typical animist and friendly character, when objects were not inert beings but had their own soul, the ceramic vases collection Primates is a powerful conceptual reminder that draws our attention to the delicate relationship that exists between man and ape. The ape is the animal that best evokes man, in the shape of the body, expressions and movements. This power of similarity to man is what makes it fascinating and what inspired the creation of these vases, whose soul is encompassed in the details and colourful textures. They come into our home and seduce us with their vital force. Dimensions: Total height 40 cm, lower base 16cm width. Material: Ceramic primates

Zeno standard color version produced by stone italiana Zeno (2018, Stone Italiana) is a coffee table made of recomposed quartz plates. The overall design is simple and minimalist, a set of pure geometric shapes that combine to create an elegant, visually lightweight and innovative table. The central portion of the composition, ie the table-top, draws inspiration from Zen gardens, which are typical of Japanese culture. With the aim to turn our living into a relaxation and meditation area, the peculiar decoration, consisting in embossed stripes, try to outlines the nature shapes energy as well as reproduce the calming effect of those places. A circular tray tops the composition, thus disrupting its obvious symmetry as if to remind us that formal perfection does not actually exist. Dimensions: 98 cm lenght x 70 cm x h 40 cm Material: Recomposed quartz plates ZENO

Caltagirone standard color version produced by lithea Caltagirone (2018, Lithea) A reinterpretation of the exquisite Majolica pottery of Caltagirone, an abstract concept in which the decorative motif is modernised and stylised thanks to the use of pitchstone. On a rectangular panel soft, intertwined lines start from a central point creating a stylised façade, framed by the classic, traditionally Sicilian floral design which gives birth to a totally black figurative creation rendered even more precious by the copper leaf decoration that illuminates parts of the design. Pitchstone, a soft limestone which is particularly appreciated for its chromatic characteristics, is exclusively extracted from a mine located in Ragusa: it is also known as asphaltic rock and it takes on a colouring that ranges from grey to dark brown and the presence of both fossils and veining make it unique. Known to mankind since antiquity, this stone has been used mainly for decorative purposes in churches and aristocratic buildings from the baroque period in south-eastern Sicily. Dimensions: 300 X 500 cm Material: Pitchstone, with a free-style manual application of copper leaf using the mordant gilding technique. CALTAGIRONE

Most Illustrious custom colors will be presented at the exhibition produced by bosa Most Illustrious (2018, Bosa), is a tribute and a token of appreciation to Italian design masters. Bosa three-dimensional ceramic figure collection, finely decorated with coloured enamels. Totem objects combining the essential traits of the designers and of the works that made them famous in the world, to underline the unique relationship between designers and their projects: we are what we create. Elena Salmistraro design master collection for Bosa starts with: Achille Castiglioni (on the centenary of his birth, in 2018), Riccardo Dalisi, Michele De Lucchi, Alessandro Mendini. Dimensions: Achille: 13x11xh.32 cm colours: white, grey, red Riccardo: 13x14xh.35 cm colours: grey, green, pink Michele: 16x13xh.36 cm colours: grey, blue Alessandro: 13x9,5xh.29 cm colours: light blue Material: Ceramic most illustrious

Mrnd standard color version produced by seletti Mrnd (2015, Seletti) lamps are a tribute to the master Giorgio Morandi, a current reinterpretation of his work declined through an emotional dialectic that wants to evoke the Morandiana atmosphere, in a union between art and design. The objects by Morandi that are most iconic belong to his still life, in particular the bottles made magical by the clever use of feeble colors and illuminated by a soft light. Elena Salmistraro, with a method that is almost surgical, extracts the object from the canvas that imprisons it, giving them back to 3D through a sort of a spell. Transforming the bottles in lamps, the enchanted light that Morandi used to give to his work becomes part of the object itself, the shadows wisely used - become discordant materials, the ripples coming from the brush stroke of the master acquire a specific configuration converting themselves into a texture that has a contemporary flair. Also the colors get a new life, yet staying natural and soft, they look like they re chasing a new position within our current perspective. Dimension: Anna (Powder pink) ø cm. 16 h. 39,5 ø 6.3 h. 15.6, Dina (Grey - light blue) ø cm. 15,5 h. 29,5 ø 6.1 h. 11.6, Maria Teresa (Green) ø cm. 19 h. 36,5 ø 7.5 h. 14.3 Material: Glass, porcelain, wood, cork. MRND

cc-tapis - international press +39 02 89093884 - press@cc-tapis.com Elena Salmistraro - designer info@elenasalmistraro.com Valentina Guidi Ottobri - curatrice valentinaottobri@gmail.com cc-tapis piazza santo stefano 10, 20122 Milano www.cc-tapis.com