The Pistoletto Foundation opens its doors and invites everyone to participate

There Cittadellarte – Pistoletto Foundation is a place magical, One of those who deserve to be visited once in life, because there are not many in Italy of places that are born as atelier d’Artista and become incubators of projects and ideas and training centers for tomorrow’s creatives. Michelangelo Pistoletto (on his extraordinary career and the Nobel candidacy We had already talked here), master of poor artfounded the Foundation in 1998 a Biellain what was a former manufacture that produced wool, along the Cervo stream. This complex of industrial archeologyalso protected by Ministry of Cultural HeritageI, is a large laboratory that connects contemporary art with society, where the different sectors (called Uffizifrom the ancient name of the offices, the workplace) operate in various areas: from art to education, from ecology to economy, from politics to spirituality.

Now Cittadellarte – Pistoletto Foundation brings a taste of its planning also in Garden of ideas That Vanity Fair Italy set up in the cloisters of Diocesan Museum of Milan during the Design Week (from 8 to 13 April): it does so through one of the most iconic works of the master, who is usually exhibited in the attic of the Foundation.

Fashion to Reconnect, Milan Fashion Week, Photo: Valerie Khoury

Doors-officeinstallation that you see in the opening photois divided into frames of rooms and wooden doors that report the name of the various Cittadellarte offices, created – explain by the Foundation – «for produce an ethical and sustainable changeacting both on a global and local scale ». The path that leads to the birth of Doors – Uffizi It started back in 1995 with the exhibition The doors of Palazzo Fabroni And it continued up to the 2005 Venice Biennale with the suggestive installation on the island of San Servolo: today, see the doors in Milan, during such special days, there invites you to reflect on particular themes that Pistoletto’s artistic philosophy inspires. We anticipate them here, but during the days when the garden is open, visitors can see the work closely and touch the individual projects related to each door.

Unidee Academy: the spaces, photos: Andrea Calciati

Let’s start from Nourishment: «The search for Cittadellarte in the agri -food chain and in the solidarity economy is governed by the project Let eat bi – the Third Paradise in Terra Biellese which was born in 2012 to carry out, starting from art, concrete projects in the Biella area aimed at Responsible change in the agricultural field and food and wine. Let Eat Bi combines culture, culture and conviviality, together with a network of partners including associations, cooperatives and territorial communities ».

Let’s move on toArt: «Since 1998 Cittadellarte has welcomed the challenge posed by Michelangelo Pistoletto in his Art project artdeveloping projects-cantieri that lead artistic practice to get involved in the different social areas: architecture, politics, education, fashion, nourishment, production, design and communication. The event of Art in the Center It tells and promotes artistic practices for the transformation of the social contexts in which they develop, created by Cittadellarte and the network of international subjects who over the years has consolidated ».

Then the Work: «Cittadellarte is a New model of artistic and cultural institution which places art in direct interaction with the different sectors of the company. The Foundation operates through dedicated “Uffizi”, which express a management and professional model aimed at innovating the world of work, research and communication, according to the values ​​that are the basis of Michelangelo Pistoletto’s thought and work. Each “office” is a place where ideas and projects converge that combine creativity and entrepreneurship, training and production, ecology and architecture, politics and spirituality. In particular theAcademy intends to define and form New professional profiles whose goal is to contribute to produce civilizationactivating a CResponsible and urgent responsible social sphere At local and global level ».

And let’s not forget the Fashion: «Cittadellarte Fashion Best, founded in 2009 by Michelangelo Pistoletto And Franca Sozzani in Cittadellarte, it is a unique laboratory dedicated to the development of the Sustainability in fashionwhich transforms raw materials, inspires ethical design and redefines production and communication in the fashion sector. Fashion Best is the place where art, sustainability and fashion converge, asking a fundamental question: how can art inspire sustainable fashion? As platformFashion Best works with designers, brands, manufacturing companies, entrepreneurs and all stakeholders, to adopt a 360 degree approach towards a responsible change in the textile and fashion sector ».

Finally, but not less important, theEducation. «Cittadellarte is one school-laboratory who studies and experiences the responsible transformation practices of society through art. At the center of his mission is the development of the culture of creation, understood as a tool for learning, project and work that aims to actually translate the symbol of Third paradise. This occurs in all the learning paths of the Foundation: in the three -year courses of the UNIDEE Academy, in Public art and in Sustainable fashionbut also in the international research programs of Unidee Residency Program, and in the Open School school of the Third Paradiso “.

Cittadellarte – Pistoletto Foundation, Biella, Photo: Enrico Amici

PH Enrico Amici