Book launch of Picture Window Frame Volume 2 

With the intervention of

Kersten Geers, OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen

Stefano Graziani, Artist

Chiara Nuzzi, Curator and Editorial Manager Fondazione ICA Milano

Kathrin Oberrauch, Curator Finstral Collection

Cloe Piccoli, Curator and Contemporary Art Critic

Fondazione ICA Milano is pleased to announce the presentation of the book Picture Window Frame Volume 2, Stefano Graziani and OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen, on Thursday, October 24, 2024, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Fondazione ICA Milano. The book published by a+mbookstore with graphic design by Francesco Valtolina and Nicola Narbone was produced on the occasion of the exhibition Picture Window Frame, by Stefano Graziani and OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen, curated by Cloe Piccoli, from Wednesday, Oct. 2 to Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 at Fondazione ICA Milano. In English, Italian and German, the volume alternates color images of Stefano Graziani's works, installation plans and installation views by Marta Tonelli. Texts by: Cloe Piccoli, Stefano Graziani, Kersten Geers, Jelena Pančevac, Alberto Salvadori, Nitzan Cohen.

The Picture Window Frame project is the second stage of an extensive commission by Finstral, a South Tyrolean company among the most important window and door companies in Europe. Invited to observe the production process and art collection initiated by founder Hans Oberrauch since the 1970s, Stefano Graziani questions the specific genre of industrial photography, while OFFICE deconstructs the concept of exhibition space understood as a white cube.

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Stefano Graziani is active at the intersection of photography, art and architecture, Stefano Graziani contributes as an unconventional voice to contemporary artistic discourse. His work has been exhibited internationally by institutions such as the Prada Foundation in Milan, the Venice Architecture Biennale or the European Art Biennale Manifesta. His work has been widely published in monographic and collective publications, he is also the author and personal curator of numerous book projects (Jeff Wall Gestus, Quodlibet 2013, The Lives of Documents, Photography as Project, CCA, Koenig 2024). Public and private collections such as CCA Montreal, Fondazione Prada (Milan), MAXXI (Rome), Fondazione Fotografia di Modena, ICCD (Rome) and Mufoco have acquired his work.

OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen is an architectural practice founded by Kersten Geers and David Van Severen. Since its establishment in 2002 in Brussels, OFFICE has been committed to the idea of architecture as a cultural undertaking aimed at improving the human environment. Recent projects currently under construction include Aerospacelab Megafactory in Charleroi, Belgium; Swiss Radio and Television building in Lausanne, Switzerland; and VRT Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. OFFICE has received numerous honors and awards, including the Belgian Prize for Architecture, the Silver Lion at the 12th Venice Biennial of Architecture, and Aga Khan Award for Architecture. This practice is combined with academic research and teaching, thus creating unexpected parallels between the two aspects of OFFICE’s production. Kersten Geers and David Van Severen have been teaching at various institutions, such as the Berlage Institute, Columbia University GSAPP, Yale School of Architecture, EPF Lausanne, the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio, and Harvard GSD.

Cloe Piccoli is a critic, curator and author, professor of Contemporary Art at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. She works between art, architecture, visual and cultural studies and has curated exhibitions and projects in numerous international museums including MAXXI, Rome/L'Aquila; MACRO, Rome; PAC Padiglione dʼArte Contemporanea, Milan; Museo del Novecento, Milan; Triennale Milano, Milan; Fondazione ICA Milano, Milan. She has worked as artistic director on contemporary art projects for Christian Dior Italia (LVMH), Acqua di Parma (LVMH), Rinascente (Central Group). She has curated solo exhibitions and installations by John Armleder, Rosa Barba, Massimo Bartolini, Pedro Cabrita Reis, Alberto Garutti, Stefano Graziani, Armin Linke, Kuehn Malvezzi, Diego Perrone, Paola Pivi, Tobias Rehberger. Contributor for the national cultural pages of La Repubblica and d La Repubblica for which she has interviewed many of the most interesting international artists and architects. She has published with Marsilio Arte, Electa, Mousse Publisher, Skira, and Humboldt Books.

Finstral AG is a family business from South Tyrol that operates throughout Europe and develops, produces and installs window, door and conservatory systems - all from a single source. Through the consistent combination of function and aesthetics as well as with an extraordinary variety of variants, for more than 50 years, Finstral has been setting standards in the industry. Now, the company has 14 production facilities in Italy and Germany, employs over 1,400 people and has 1,000 specialist trade partners in 14 countries. Over the past 50 years, the Finstral Art Collection has grown into a rich source of inspiration, promoting a unique approach to the concepts of building and living. Art has always played a crucial role in inspiring the company. In addition to permanent exhibitions in seven Finstral Studios across Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands, a dedicated exhibition space has been available at the Finstral Studio Friedberg near Augsburg since 2017. Recently shown was "Italomodern: Architecture in Northern Italy 1946-1976" by Martin and Werner Feiersinger.

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We thank Intesa Sanpaolo, the official sponsor of the Foundation, for supporting ICA Milano's programming and activities.