Matteo Ragni in Toronto

The Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Toronto presents the exhibition “Matteo Ragni: Almost Twenty Years of Design”, a retrospective of the Italian designer's works.

The Istituto Italiano di Cultura presents the exhibition “Matteo Ragni:Almost Twenty Years of Design” a retrospective of the works of the Italian designer, in conjunction with another exhibition that he himself curated, “100% TobeUs”, which is on display at Canada’s only design museum, the Design Exchange in Toronto.

The exhibition highlights the attention Ragni pays to his role of designer. Every project must have its own reason to exist, its own function, and it must produce a pleasurable sensation, especially when it is dedicated to children, as in the case of TobeUs.

An intention evident in Patch, a small object that holds a book open, allowing the reader to remain immersed in the pleasure of reading. Or in Bacinella, a practical container in colourful plastic suitable for holding laundry and clothespins.

Matteo Ragni’s creativity never wanders from an attentive and respectful viewpoint of the environment that surrounds us, often playful, such as in 2Spin, a fun cocktail toothpick that looks like a spinning top, in a washable and recyclable plastic. Or in the eyeglass frames made with reconstituted Alpi wood.

And this reminds us of another aspect of Matteo Ragni’s work: his collaboration as artistic director for brands such as Campari, for which he designed a new version of the famous bottle; or for Jannelli&Volpi, a company that produces wallpaper, for which he designs wall panels and set-ups.