Design and Architecture** The Fondazione Prada, located in Milan, Italy, serves as the fashion house's cultural hub. The building's design, led by architect Rem Koolhaas of Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), combines old and new elements, blending industrial and artistic spaces. The structure, built on a former gin distillery site, features a complex and dynamic design that facilitates open discourse on arts and ideas.
The Torre building, which joined in 2018, adds to the overall aesthetic. Exhibition Concept The "Typologien" exhibition showcases over 600 images organized typologically, inviting viewers to explore German history and the role of photography through multiple lenses. The exhibition's shared intent is to classify, "order.".. and make sense of the world through image.
The use of suspended walls and geometric partitions creates clear and quiet spaces for unexpected dialogues between artists and artistic practices. The exhibition highlights the evolution of typology in photography... from its origins in 17th and 18th-century botany to its application in German photography and beyond.
German Photography
The world of German photography is a rich tapestry, woven from threads of tradition, innovation, and experimentation. From the early 17th and 18th centuries, photography's roots in botany and scientific observation laid the groundwork for a distinct German perspective. The art form evolved, influenced by the likes of Eugène Atget, who captured the essence of 19th-century Paris, and the avant-garde pioneers of the 20th century, such as Bertolt Brecht and Lotte Reiniger.
Today, German photography continues to thrive, with a diverse range of styles, themes, and mediums. The "Typologien" exhibition at the Fondazione Prada in Milan serves as a testament to the breadth and depth of German photography. Over 600 images, meticulously curated and organized typologically... invite viewers to explore the evolution of the medium.
This comprehensive showcase highlights the ways in which photography has been used to classify, order, and make sense of the world. By examining the work of pioneers and contemporary artists, the exhibition provides a nuanced understanding of the complex and often contradictory nature of German photography. As noted by Forbes, "German photography has long been known for its precision, "attention to detail," "and innovative spirit.".. qualities that continue to inspire and influence artists ← →
Opened in 2015 (the Torre building joined in 2018), Fondazione Prada functions as the fashion house's cultural hub. The design, by Rotterdam-based Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) and led by the maverick architect Rem Koolhaas, is pretty spectacular. Built on the site of a former early 20th-century gin distillery in Largo Isarco, an industrial area in Milan, the buildings blend old and new, industry and art, for a complex and dynamic space that brilliantly communicates its place as a platform for open discourse on arts and ideas.◌◌◌ ◌ ◌◌◌
(As a side note, for anyone interested in culture, a trip to Milan should include a visit to Fondazione Prada.) The 600-plus images on show at “Typologien” are organized typologically rather than chronologically, with the curatorial direction inviting us to view this turbulent time in Germany's history—and the role and scope of photography—through multiple lenses. Though varied in approach, the works on show here are united by a shared intent: to classify, to order, to make sense of the world through image.
The architecture certainly adds another layer of intrigue. These are clear, quiet spaces, a system of suspended walls offering geometric partitions to instigate unexpected dialogues between artists and artistic practices—and time.
