Ex Macello di Porta Vittoria - Via Molise 62, Milano
17-23 aprile - h 11-19 For its fifth edition, Alcova uncovers its most spectacular venue. The design independent platform conceived by Valentina Ciuffi (Studio Vedèt) and Joseph Grima (Space Caviar) in 2018 expands into the gigantic spaces of the former slaughterhouse in Via Molise. The encounter was inevitable: Alcova boasts a long and well-established tradition of recovering buildings in a state of neglect of the twentieth-century city, from the Cova former bakery factory to the military hospital in Baggio; the former slaughterhouse, on its part, has already been recovered as a space with a cultural-recreational function by the Macao activists and the NUL parties, among others. More than 100 between independent designers, new brands, galleries, cultural institutions, and businesses are on display in the buildings and empty spaces, which are incredibly varied in shape, size, and state of conservation, in a neighborhood that is a city within a city. They fill the rooms of the Loggia, which is the entrance, of the Villetta and of the Covo, the former office buildings. They are distributed in the courtyards, lined up along the endless hallways of the Galleria, the ancient heart of the slaughterhouse and one of its most monumental spaces, and organized in the squared defined by a network of pillars inside the Rimessa and the Mattatoio. AHU, Atelier Luma, Fabian Freytag Studio, IED, Marion Friedman Gallery, Naba, Project 213A, Studio Lugo, The New Raw, Wang Yichu, Xaver Kuster: it is only a quick overview of the names involved by the curators in this crowded Salone-within-a-Salone, where, as it often happens, the charm of the container valorizes and competes at the same time with the charm of the content itself. ThetObjects of Common Interest installation is the real landmark of this edition, and a good starting point to organize, map in hand, your ideas and your visit. The ethereal, conical inflatable fountain is an ironic comment to the simple entrance courtyard, which also hosts the bar and the talk area, which are suggestive of other and more solemn public spaces of the historic city.