An exhibition celebrating Olafur Eliasson and Sebastian Behmann for the first time in Italy

From 19 September 2020 until 17 January 2021, “The Design of Collaboration”, curated by Christiane Rekade, will take place at Kunst Meran Merano Arte. The exhibition represents the first Italian project dedicated to Studio Other Spaces (SOS), an art and architecture studio founded in Berlin in 2014 by the collaboration between the artist Olafur Eliasson (Copenhagen, 1967) and the architect Sebastian Behmann (Hannover, 1969).

Kunst Meran Merano Arte provides a broad overview of the studio’s recent projects, sharing experimental approaches to design and architecture, focused on research and innovation. Studio Other Spaces goes beyond the limits of architecture and pursues new methods of exploration and design of space. “The Design of Collaboration” aims to re-evaluate exhibition formats for architecture, promoting discussion on issues relating to digital development and sustainability. The exhibition focuses on distinctive features and approaches to project implementation: whether they are experimental construction projects or works of art for public space, SOS starts with an in-depth analysis of pre-existing environments and conditions. In this sense, local craftsmanship and particular materials often represent the starting point for the implementation of a creative process strongly influenced by the natural environment.

The exhibition is divided into three parts, each dedicated to a collaborative experience. The first section proposes a virtual reality tour of the Meles Zenawi Memorial Park in Addis Ababa (2013-2020). The project, born from the cooperation between Berlin and the Ethiopian capital, was carried out in close collaboration with artisans, local engineers, designers, architects and artists. The second part of the exhibition is dedicated to SOS production, based on meticulous research and study of materials and shapes. On show are several models and prototypes made for the Lyst Restaurant on the first floor of the Fjordenhus in Vejle, Denmark, a building designed in collaboration with Studio Olafur Eliasson. For the third and final part of the exhibition, Studio Other Spaces collaborated with Frener & Reifer to create a steel and glass work, whose surface will reflect the sky of Merano in the entrance hall of the museum.