Casalgrande (RE), 24 April 2018 – Mother Nature and Planet Earth are at the centre of a tale of materials set to the tune of a creative-playful irony in a dual exhibition trail created by the artist Nero/Alessandro Neretti, who is taking part with Gruppo Romani at Fuorisalone 2018. CERAMIC UNIVERSE is the title of the event being held in two locations in Milan during the week 17 to 22 April and dedicated to the great challenge of environmental sustainability and protection, one of Gruppo Romani’s main objectives.

The MOTHER NATURE installation, located in Via Solferino 14, has been conceived by designers Francesca Po, Ester Sirito and Giacomo Bassamaji as a dense and light geometrical structure composed of metal and porcelain stoneware in which the graphic markings of the artist Nero/Alessandro Neretti, engraved with a new laser technique developed by the Casalgrande company, break in and set fire to the severity of the material.

PLANET EARTH is the title of the exhibition located in the CASABELLA workshop premises in Via Marco Polo 13, and is a conceptual and structural reworking of ceramic tiles offering a real journey through contemporary art. Nero/Alessandro Neretti, has reinterpreted the materials of the Serenissima, CIR, Cerasarda and Cercom brands, inserting them in a site-specific, custom-made artistic project resulting from painstaking aesthetic and conceptual research.

In this dual event, Gruppo Romani presents the innovative technique of laser engraving which enables a unique, customized decoration to be achieved. This technique may be applied to any ceramic surface of products from the Gruppo Romani brands because it maintains intact all the technical characteristics of the material. Laser engraving offered by Gruppo Romani is one of the most ground-breaking forms of decoration: it allows the end result to be customized, creating unique pieces made-to measure according to the needs of each client. The works by the artist Nero/Alessandro Neretti devised for Fuorisalone may be engraved, on demand, onto any Gruppo Romani brand product.

Nero/Alessandro Neretti
Nero/Alessandro Neretti is a visual artist and a critical observer of the contemporary condition. He conducts a personal investigation to explore with a cynical eye the dynamics of present-day reality. The objet trouvé comes into this process in the form of complex installations, where the link to the existing world is made through a semantic post-realism. The final aim is provocation, resistance, the alternative to historical and cultural collapse.

He has participated in numerous artistic projects, artist’s residences, awards and cultural projects, including the following: Airbnb HQ - San Francisco/United States of America, Fondazzjoni Kreattività - Gozo/Malta, Museum Beelden aan Zee -Scheveningen/Netherlands, International EgeArt Days - Izmir/Turkey, Museo d’Arte Della Città - Ravenna/Italy, World Ceramic Biennale - Icheon/South Korea, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea - Lissone/Italy, Aubin Gallery - London/United Kingdom, Kunstmuseum - Bornholm/Denmark, PAC/Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea - Milan/Italy, Hagi Uragami Museum - Gifu/Japan and Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche - Faenza/Italy.

Gruppo Romani
Set up in 1968 with the name Ceramiche Serenissima, Gruppo Romani is the most authentic expression of Made in Italy manufacture. The group’s activity has been consolidated over time, its growth inspired by passion, skill, quality and technological innovation, and today it celebrates 50 years in business, with a constant focus on future development.

Within Gruppo Romani the Serenissima brand is characterized by the functional elegance of its solutions and its constant research, which allows the company to supply surfaces with high-level technical specifications. On the other hand CIR Ceramiche is targeted at a young, dynamic audience, offering quality oriented towards more contemporary and creative design. A production system that is among the most cutting-edge and eco-sustainable is the main feature of the Cercom brand, with an identity built on dialogue with the world of architecture and professionals. La Ceramica della Costa Smeralda by Cerasarda, another of the Group’s brands, interprets today’s design within ancient traditions and high-quality production technologies.

For more details:
https://www.grupporomanispa.com/it/events/design-week-2018/
http://www.ovveronero.net/