The format of the Nomad art fair and collectible design fits perfectly into mansions, chalets or palazzos with an interesting provenance and rich history. Its founders, Nicolas Bellavance-Lecomte and Giorgio Pace, came up with the idea of exhibiting design and art not on exhibition stands, but surrounded by real interiors. In the summer, the 12th iteration of Nomad took place in Capri in the building of the Certosa di San Giacomo monastery, dating back to the 14th century, surrounded by secluded echoing arcades, shady gardens and magnificent views of the Gulf of Naples.
The arched vaults provide the perfect backdrop for the carefully curated selection of design and art brought in by 11 international galleries and their accompanying special projects. Participants include Nilufar Gallery (Milan), Friedman Benda (New York), Le Lab Experimental Atelier (Cairo), Muse Gallery (Monaco), Studio Trisorio (Naples/Capri) and Volumnia (Piacenza), etc.
New York gallery Friedman Benda presented the work of American designer Misha Kahn, in particular his double-sided mohair tapestry Tested by Throwing Against Wall, which became his largest work of textile design to date, created with the participation of weavers from Swaziland.
Interdisciplinary studio Lo Studio Everything I Want promotes objects that synthesize art, design and craft. She presented Tarek Shamma’s latest furniture collection, handcrafted in Egypt, as well as glass blown sculptures by Irene Cattaneo.
Marco Arosio Gallery, which specializes in 20th-century art glass, ceramics and metal, brought a selection of works, including porcelain sculptures by Gio Ponti for Ginori, Venini vases and Fontana Arte lamps.
Volumnia presents a harmonious composition of historical Italian furniture and ceramics from the 30s to the 70s. In the space allocated to the gallery, you can see, for example, the Gritti bookcase by Andrea Branzi and the Lady armchairs by Marco Zanuso.
Milan’s Nilufar is participating in Nomad Capri with a unique installation that complements the interdisciplinary dialogue promoted by the fair, experimenting with different styles, techniques and materials. The centerpiece of her exhibition is a large installation of new creations by Christian Pelizzari. Pelizzari’s glass flowers were inspired by Sandro Botticelli’s painting “Spring”. In addition, Nina Yashar presents ceramics by the Greek Anestis Michalis and functional objects made of polymer materials with a delicate opal shimmer from Objects of Common Interest, which had great success at Milan Design Week.
Among the special projects, the installation Bronzi stands out, which included works by Michele de Lucchi, which became the last artistic research of the Italian architect and designer, who at the end of his life became interested in bronze and transferred some of the models of his buildings to this material. On Nomad you can see three bas-reliefs from the “Ideographic Architectures” series and three sculptures from the “Haystacks” series.
Another interesting project was created jointly by Elektra Lux, the Italian manufacturer of Luce 5 lamps and Carwan Gallery. Their initiative aims to push the boundaries of modern lighting design with a new line of collectible fixtures featuring designers Campbell-Rey, India Madavi, Linde Freya Tangelder, Objects of Common Interest and Roberto Sironi (Roberto Sironi).