Elio Fiorucci
Triennale Milano, Milan
From November 6th, 2024 until March 16th, 2025
The exhibition dedicated to Elio Fiorucci, curated by Judith Clark and conceived for the spaces of the Triennale Milano recounts all the facets of the character he was, designer, cool hunter and entrepreneur. His creative and artistic idea of fashion was revolutionary, and inspired not only fashion and costume, but also contemporary art, starting in the 1960s. His eclectic vision has always been characterised by a combination of elements, pieces of clothing, records, publications, prints, objects, and his iconic concept stores have become meeting points for intellectual, musical and, more generally, artistic artists and performers. This exhibition is the largest and most extensive retrospective ever, the collected work is incredibly wide-ranging and allows the visitor to really get in touch with such a controversial, rich and multifaceted figure. Stefano Boeri, President of Triennale Milano, tells of the real desire to bring to the city where this phenomenon exploded the profound tale of colours, shapes and geometries that invaded the dark Milan of the 1970s.
“Milan, thanks to Fiorucci, has in fact been for at least two decades one of the magnets of the most advanced ideas in international youth culture and the cradle of the most fertile and daring contaminations not only between fashion, design, visual art and advertising, but also between culture and commerce.”
The retrospective was also conceived with a clear biographical aspect that brings together the human, entrepreneurial and at the same time cultural aspects of the Fiorucci myth. The study offers a new visual perspective. Graphics and provocative but also humorous language are the focus of the exhibition. They are told through different media, recordings, small and large works, videos, photographs, clothing and accessories, and contemporary works of art. All this demonstrates how the brand has always been transversal even in its approach to every artistic form. A well-defined identity, closely linked to the personality of its founder. The chronological tendency of the exhibition allows the narration of his practice to be known in its entirety, in its theatrical and flamboyant aspect. In fact, the entire exhibition will be accompanied by the voice of Elio Fiorucci through unpublished recordings that retrace personal moments and will be in dialogue with the voices of other key figures in the designer’s life. Fiorucci’s was a unique vision, made up of experiments that revolutionised fashion and marketing. A journey through personal archives and industrial products that wink and reveal the unmistakable aesthetics of an iconic and timeless brand.
