• What first led you to move from philosophy to photography and the visual arts?

I have always been interested in the relationship between art, perception, and language, and from an early age my philosophical studies were oriented toward these subjects. In particular, I have always been interested in, in some way, bearing witness to and giving form to what happens in the encounter between the languages of communication, whether they are images, words, or bodily gestures.

• How did your long collaboration with Domus magazine shape the way you think about art, design, and visual storytelling?

My collaboration with Domus gave me the opportunity to move through and engage with the creative and intellectual world that gravitated around the magazine.

An extraordinary international network of artists and intellectuals with whom to connect and enter into dialogue. A truly invaluable opportunity that enabled and encouraged me to create images, produce works of art, and write texts—whether critical essays or theatrical pieces.

In short, it was both a school and a training ground.

• You have been curator of the Gio Ponti Archives since 1996. What does Gio Ponti’s legacy mean to you on a personal level?

My growing commitment to studying Gio Ponti and his work was somewhat like falling in love. At first, one is simply curious; then, over time, one begins to discover the key that holds together the multifaceted expression of this man. Finally, distinct and independent from the work itself, one begins to glimpse Gio Ponti’s message: a return to the man and to his seductive suggestion that we make ourselves the center of our own way of living.

• Looking back, which project or exhibition has been most significant in shaping your curatorial journey?

I would say the exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, “Tutto Ponti: Gio Ponti, Archi-Designer” in 2018, and the curatorship of the book “Gio Ponti” published by Taschen in 2021.

Both of these projects required a great deal of time to reach completion and allowed me to develop a significant and meaningful experience.

• How do you balance photography, writing, and curating within your creative practice?

By nature, I tend to let myself be guided by events. I like to live life in real time. I must say that the result is beautiful and intense. I appreciate the way these three dimensions intersect and influence one another; however, I have to admit that for this kind of life, there is never enough time.

• Through the collaboration with Molteni&C, Gio Ponti’s designs have been reintroduced to contemporary audiences. What do you see as the key responsibility when bringing archival works back into production?

Naturally, fidelity to Ponti’s vision is essential; by this I mean that the soul of the work being reintroduced must not be betrayed.

The soul of the work must be thoroughly understood and deeply known in order to skillfully resolve technological differences and the industrial requirements of objects that were originally conceived as unique pieces or produced in very small commissions. In short, to bring Ponti’s work into the homes of a global audience, one must, as the saying goes, step into his shoes and fully understand his multifaceted creativity.

It should be said that Ponti’s work—rooted in essentiality and in the expressive power of structure—seems never to age and always appears “contemporary.”

• How has your experience in Doha influenced your perspective on the global reception of Italian design?

In Doha, I perceived a very lively interest in Gio Ponti’s work—not only for its intrinsic qualities, but also as an example of a form of design that does not limit itself to functional solutions, but expands to suggest and propose a way of life, and thus comes close to art.

• During Art Basel Qatar, you are participating in a public talk. What key message do you hope to share with an audience spanning art, design, and architecture?

I must say that it was an important and meaningful opportunity to participate to the talk at the Molteni&C Doha Boutique. An initiative that identifies dialogue between art, design, and architecture as the dimension in which to envision and shape our future.