Copper Crossings, the copper exhibition at Triennale di Milano

Copper is the star at the center of "Copper Crossings - Copper Shapes in Contemporary Art, Design, Technology and Architecture". It is an exhibition promoted by Elena Tettamanti, in cooperation with the Triennale di Milano, the Triennale Design Museum, the Italian Copper Institute and with the support of the European Copper Institute.

There are more than 250 pieces on display, showing the art of copper in all its possible forms and variations. The exhibition ranges between various environments, sectors and styles, with copper serving as a common factor: this material brings together authors who can be very different from one other, belonging to distant epochs and having different trainings and educations.

Architecture, design, contemporary art and technology are the exhibition’s major themes.

The area reserved to architecture includes the works of artists such as Renzo Piano, Aldo Rossi, Steven Holl Architects and James Stirling, all capable of shaping the forms of copper and exploiting its versatility.

Thanks to its gloss, but also to its technological evolution and its oxidative processes, copper has become a very used material in design, during the last few years. Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Antonio Citterio, Tobia Scarpa, Ettore Sottsass, Oskar Zieta and Giorgio Vigna are just some of the designers who, attracted by the copper’s potential, have created surprising and original objects. The Triennale also hosts some garments designed by Romeo Gigli and Prada, who have experienced copper’s properties with such an avant-garde approach.

Copper is also used in science and technology, as the exhibition shows in the dedicated area. It is used as a conductor of energy, in transport and information technology, in agri-food sector, telecommunications and also to create microprocessors and electronic components of various kinds. The exhibition illustrates how copper was already used in ancient times: Egyptians and Greeks used it for its antimicrobial and medicinal properties.

Finally, the contemporary art sector is occupied by the works of 30 different artists, ranging from the Sixties to the present day. Therefore, visitors can admire the evolution in the use of this particular material, through the various artistic and cultural movements.

The exhibition features works and objects from the major museums, galleries and private collections in Italy and Europe, including the MAXXI - National Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome, the Cantonal Art Museum of Lugano, the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia and the Fondazione Merz in Turin. This exhibition occupies the Triennale’s halls from September 16 to November 9, 2014. It is open from Tuesdays to Sundays, from 10:30 am to 8:30 pm and on Thursdays from 10:30 am to 11:00 pm. The entrance ticket costs € 8, while the reduced one costs 5.50 €.