Editor: Jose Morales
Florence, Italy – This month, Manifattura Tabacchi, hosted a series of exhibitions under the name, “If I could, unless we.” The art exhibition merged the world of fashion and art while creating a dialogue with Pitti Immagine. For Florence, Pitti Immagine continues to be one of its most important fashion events; one that attracts visitors from all over the world. Taking this unique occasion into consideration, the seven featured installations provided visitors with the opportunity to experience the many exciting developments taking place at Manifattura Tabacchi.
The exhibition was curated by Linda Loppa, a prominent figure in the international world of fashion for over 45 years. The seven installations were spread throughout areas of Manifattura Tabacchi, leading guests on a night walk to discover the visions and works of the seven designers/artists curated by Loppa. Together, Bart Hess, Lara Torres, Armando Chant, Moses Hamborg, Bernhard Willhelm, Clemens Thornquist, and Senjan Jansen, created a world very different from the now overused concepts within the world of fashion. A world focused on no catwalks, no clothes, and no timelines.
When discussing the exhibition, the Head of Product Development at Manifattura Tabacchi, Michelangelo Giombini, said “We were immediately taken by the idea of a night walk which evoked a different, reflective dimension, on the line between fashion and art. It was a route which featured multidisciplinary installations and which expressed the spirit of experimentation that is such a part of the Manifattura project, and its vocation for the contemporary.”
About the artists featured in the exhibition, Loppa stated: “They all have links with the world of fashion. They are designers, researchers, painter or observers, and they all take a position inside or outside the field of fashion, developing a critical eye on the industry. They propose new methods or visions. They are present, and their work gave us a moment of solitude in the raw spaces of the Manifattura Tabacchi. A night walk must be inspirational, and their different points of views challenged the attitudes of those who attended the exhibition about the world of fashion.” – GM
"They all have links with the world of fashion. They are designers, researchers, painter or observers, and they all take a position inside or outside the field of fashion, developing a critical eye on the industry." - Linda Loppa
