An exhibition beneath the railway

Open to the public for the first time thanks to Ventura Projects, the Magazzini Raccordati on Via Ferrante Aporti provide the setting for evocative installations by Maarten Baas, Lee Broom, Luca Nichetto and Ben Gohram.

  Margriet Vollenberg told Domus  about the making of the exhibition project. In 2010 she devised Ventura Lambrate. This year, Ventura Centrale is opening 8 warehouses on Via Ferrante Aporti – from numbers 9 to 21 – when some of them have been closed for over thirty years. In Vollenberg’s own words: “A group of more established exhibitors: brands or design studios that have been working for some years, and big commercial companies who'd like to approach the market in a different way.”

The space is huge, raw and evocative. It does a lot to powerfully define the exhibition’s identity. Some of the most effective projects are site-specific installations by Maarten Baas, Lee Broom and Luca Nichetto and Ben Gohram working in tandem. The Dutch designer celebrates the 101 Chair designed for Lensvelt with a rowdy installation “May I have your attention, please”, clustered with megaphones amplifying the sound of thousands of voices.

Impeccable the all-white installation by British designer Lee Broom, a carousel in motion displaying his most famous pieces. It stands out against the shabby walls of the station depot, creating a strong visual contrast. Finally, Nichetto and Gohram have ventured a double installation for Salviati 1859. Pyrae and Strata reiterate modular glass elements, still prototypes, soon to go into production.

4– 9 April 2017
Ventura Centrale
Magazzini Raccordati
via Ferrante Aporti 9, Milan