MDW 2016: Gufram presents pieces that awaken a mix of sensations

If Alessandro Mendini, Fabio Novembre, Stefano Seletti, Laura Baldessari and so many other designers were at the opening of the "Gufram on the Rocks" exhibition, it's because it's good. The exhibition, presented at the Carla Sozzani Gallery (Corso Como, 10) features the iconic pieces of this irreverent company. Founded 50 years ago (hence the commemorative exhibition), Gufram has remained faithful to the Italian Radical Design style and continues, even today, to work on the contrast of materials and shapes versus the sensation they can create. The Cactus, designed by Drocco e Mello, for example, is soft - as a cactus could never be. The Armchair, launched by Mendini, is made with real fake Carrara marble. "I've always liked this strange game of contrasts and this piece I made for them, for me, means the acceptance of falseness", jokes designer Alessandro Mendini. "Gufram is almost a story of resistance", says the company's creative director Charley Vezza, who, every day, reveals that he receives countless proposals from designers eager to make pieces for the brand. "But there's no point in presenting ideas like a giant fork or an enormous nose. What we're looking for are designers who can see everything through the eyes of a child, but who can develop very high philosophical reasoning, so that we never fall into banality," he concludes.