The ADI Design Museum in Milan hosts until 22 March 2025, the exhibition “Gianni Sassi. Joy and Revolution “, a tribute to the figure of Gianni Sassi, the undisputed protagonist of the Italian cultural scene between the 60s and 90s.
Curated by Aldo Colonetti and created in collaboration with the Mudima and Studio Azzurro Foundation, the exhibition collects hundreds of original materials to tell the tireless search for stones in overcoming the traditional borders of the arts and communication.
The exhibition itinerary
The set -up develops in five thematic sections, each dedicated to a peculiar aspect of Sassi's work. The exhibition opens with a large section dedicated to graphics, which underlines its skill in the use of typography and design. Here, a large flooring on the floor introduces visitors to the universe of its publications, including the famous magazine “alphabet”, a point of reference for Italian culture between 1979 and 1988.
A section dedicated to food and its symbolic value follows, in which the animated maquette of the exhibition “The styles of the body” of 1988 stands out, which explored the relationship between body and nutrition. In support, covers of the magazine “La Gola” are exhibited, a pioneer in treating food as a cultural as well as gastronomic phenomenon.
The third room is dedicated to the links between stones and the world of art. Six synchronized monitors give voice to twelve artists, documenting their paths through images and posters. Here the connections with prominent figures on the international scene emerge, from the Fluxus movement to Gianni Emilio Simonetti.
The fourth section is dedicated to music and, in particular, to the legendary record label “Cramps”, Founded by Sassi. On display two “prepared piano” made by Ben Vautier and Arman, as well as a selection of vinyls of the Cramps, with songs listened to in the cap. Sassi played a crucial role in the experimental music scene, collaborating with artists such as John Cage, Demetrio Stratos and Franco Battiato.
The path ends with a tribute to “Milan Poetry”, a festival that between 1984 and 1992 was a point of reference for artistic experimentation. A projection collects the salient moments of the event, which saw the participation of world -renowned poets and artists alongside emerging young people.
The exhibition
“Joy and Revolution” is not only a celebratory exhibition, but an opportunity to reflect on the cultural heritage of Sassi and its ability to transform ideas into concrete experiences. The exhibition traces his commitment to overcome the barriers between disciplines, highlighting his role as a catalyst for new forms of expression. Through immersive installations, archive materials and direct testimonies, the visitor is involved on a journey that is not limited to memory, but becomes a stimulus for new reflections on the present.
The works
Among the objects on display, the original covers of the magazines “alphabet” and “La Gola”, iconic posters, archival movies and multimedia installations stand out. The sections dedicated to music, with rare vinyls of the Cramps and artist tools, and to visual art, with works that testify to the dialogue of Sassi with the cultural panorama of the time, are particularly significant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zabhlty8
Collateral events
The exhibition is accompanied by a rich program of events, including meetings, round tables and projections, which will be held every Saturday from 1 to 22 March. Furthermore, thanks to the collaboration with the “Corriere della Sera”, the festival “The month of poetry” will return to the pages of “La Read” in conjunction with the World Poetry Day of 21 March.
The artist
Gianni-Sassi-Milanopo-1993-Foto-of-Faycal-Zaoual
Gianni Sassi – (Varese, 8 October 1938 – Milan, March 14, 1993) was a record producer, entrepreneur, advertising, Italian publisher and photographer. He began the activity in 1963 by founding in Milan, with Sergio Albergoni, the Agency of advertising graphics Studio Al.sa. The study, with an intuition in advance on the times, resumed cutting -edge techniques and ways to transfer them to the field of commercial communication (the manifesto of the Busnelli sofa with a young Franco Battiato made a sensation). With Al.sa. Sassi designs for the Busnelli Caleidoscope brand (1969), half -yearly of culture, design and production of furniture and cure for Iris Ceramiche Humus (1971), a quarterly of culture and ceramic art. In the record field, the Agency creates the covers of some Italian musical projects, such as those of the area and Franco Battiato's first albums – as well as numerous covers of the Bla Bla record label and all those of the Cramps. In 1967 he founded with Daniela Palazzo, Gianni Emilio Simonetti and Sergio Albergoni La Ed912, publishing house that publishes the magazine of art, underground culture and bit youth contest. In 1971 he founded, in companies with Franco Mamone and Sergio Albergoni, the independent record label Cramps. Since 1979 Sassi publishes, first as an art director then as director, the Alphabet magazine: monthly cultural information, which in a decade brings together a large group of intellectuals (including Nanni Balestrini, Umberto Eco, Gino di Maggio, Antonio Porta , Paolo Volponi, Maria Corti, Pier Aldo Rovatti, Francesco Leonetti). The beginning of Sassi's collaboration with Arci (Italian recreational and cultural association) dates back to 1982, and with the tabloid La Gola (of which it was Art Director). He was also the organizer of numerous conferences and international festivals, including war on war (1982), Polyphonix (1983), Milan Poetry (1984-1992).
Info
Gianni Sassi. Joy and revolution
ADI Design Museum, Piazza Compasso d'Oro 1, Milan
(Entrance from via Ceresio 7 – Via Bramante 42 – Monumental Cemetery Piazzale)
Until March 22, 2025
Information: www.adidesignmuseum.org
