Digital Grotesque exhibited at Stucco Storico

Stucco Storico presents the intriguing work of three stuccatori: Tomaso Vasalli, Joseph Moretti and Pieter Nicolaas Gagini. Born and raised around the Lake of Lugano, in the 18^thcentury, they migrated to what we call the Euregion today. There, they made the most sumptuous decorations of the popular stucco. Their work has been preserved quite well in the Land without Borders and has been diligently restored and studies with renewed knowledge and skills since the 1990s.

The most beautiful interiors of the Euregion

Stucco Storico shows some of the most representative interiors and discusses how these came to be. In what timeframe, which society, what culture, and with which influence and examples did these Italian stuccatoriwork in the Euregion? How has our understanding of the concept of the interior changed by stucco, how has the interior become a décor? Which techniques, tools, and materials did the master craftsmen use?

 

Stucco today

These questions are pertinent till this day: rococo, for instance, is one of the last truly individualistic and hand-made styles before the widespread industrialization of the late 18^th century. This raises questions of mass production and uniformity of art and design. How do the unique object and the series relate? New technologies offer even more solutions and change the relation between the object and the consumer. Stucco, which has always flexibly molded itself according to its time, thus proves to be as contemporary now as it was back then. An artwork like Digital Grotesque and a design studio like Unfold manifest this current relevance.

The exhibition is made by Remco Beckers – curator and project coordinator at Bureau Europa and Saskia van Stein – director of Bureau Europa. Hansje van Halem has made the visual identity of the exhibition, whilst Ludo Groen is responsible for the spatial design.

Stucco Storico: the tale of a craft can be visited until 24 March 2019. In addition to the exhibition, Bureau Europa presents a varied series of public activities.