Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website IED - Istituto Europeo di Design, and the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles (IIC LA) are delighted to present NOT AN ARTIST - Toyboyz Edition
august 02, 2018 - IED Istituto Europeo di Design

IED - Istituto Europeo di Design, and the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles (IIC LA) are delighted to present NOT AN ARTIST - Toyboyz Edition


IED - Istituto Europeo di #design, and the Italian Cultural Institute in #losangeles (IIC LA) are delighted to present NOT AN ARTIST - Toyboyz Edition an exhibition investigating the artistic phenomenon of Toy #design through the work of four distinguished personalities:

Fidia Falaschetti, Joe Ledbetter/J.Led, Massimo Giacon, and Simone Legno/tokidoki.
The show will highlight their own unique artistic expressions, links to different creative disciplines, business models and connections with #design Companies such as ALESSI, IKEA, KARTELL as well as the relationships between Italy and USA.

IIC #losangeles - 1023 Hilgard Ave, #losangeles, CA 90024 USA

EXHIBITION

June 6 - September 20, 2018

Group show: Fidia Falaschetti, Joe Ledbetter/J.Led, Massimo Giacon and Simone Legno/tokidoki

The Toy Designer as a symbol of the blurred boundaries between disciplines, showcase of sculptures, #design objects, drawings, paintings, merchandising. Highlighting the #design Methodology and techniques shared between art and #design: 3D #design, prototyping, packaging, branding.

Opening: June 6, 2018 - 7:30 pm CONFERENCE

“The role of NOT ARTISTS in the #contemporaryart scene.
The Professions involved in the business of the Toy #design, a view from inside.”

June 6, 2018 - 6:00 pm doors open, 6:30 pm presentation begins

Valeria Rumori: IIC Director Los Angeles
Igor Zanti: Art Critic and Curator, #ied Venezia Director
Fidia Falaschetti: Artist and Designer
Massimo Giacon: Artist and Designer
Giorgia Mannucci: Art Manager
Moderated by Jacopo Manganiello: #ied International Marketing Manager

NOT AN ARTIST is an international research project led by #ied - Istituto Europeo di #design.
The project outlines the evolution of professional figures in #contemporaryart and culture.
It started through an internal workshop aimed at delineating the evolution of art-related careers.
Two lines of research emerged:
• NOT AN ARTIST AS PROFESSIONAL - Discovering the professional roles of #contemporaryart.
• NOT AN ARTIST AS DESIGNER - Exploring the blurred boundaries between disciplines.
The workshop inspired the reorganization of #ied course offerings within the ART department.
The research continued and involved Curators, Artists, Designers and Cultural Institutions in the context of international events such as Istanbul Biennial and Venice Biennial in 2017.
The upcoming dates scheduled for 2018 are LA #design Festival with NOT AN ARTIST - Toyboyz Edition in #losangeles and MANIFESTA 12, in Palermo.
NOT AN ARTIST is curated by Jacopo Manganiello and Igor Zanti.

IED - ISTITUTO EUROPEO DI #design - International Education Network.
Since 1966, #ied Istituto Europeo di #design has developed innovative and diversified teaching methodologies, focused on synergies between technology and experimentation, creativity, strategies and integrated communication, market issues and a close relationship with professionals from the various creative industries. #ied offers young professionals working in the fields of Fashion, #design and Communication the knowledge and effective tools they need to succeed in this constantly changing field. The nexus between knowledge and knowhow is the indispensable starting point for developing the cultural, creative and critical skills
and competencies that are the ultimate goal of #ied education.

ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI CULTURA - Los Angeles
Founded in 1984 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to promote Italian culture
in Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
Directed by Valeria Rumori since 2015, the Institute promotes Italian Language through language courses
and events in collaboration with numerous local institutions with the goal of presenting Italy in all of its cultural richness: architecture, cinema, #design, literature, music, science, technology, theater and the visual arts.

ARTISTS

FIDIA FALASCHETTI was born in Marche, Italy in 1977 and currently works and lives in LA.
FIDIA’s journey into art began in his early childhood, raised in a hugely inspiring and creative family. At the age
of 16, FIDIA was hired to produce wall paintings and illustrations for multiple stores and established companies. He grew up inspired by different subcultures, and then formed his creative skills from street art and the hip hop world. He studied “Product Design” at the Academy of Fine Arts, between Macerata and Florence in Italy, where he graduated in 2002 having already embarked on his professional career as a graphic designer, illustrator and photographer since 1995 he also collaborated with many international brands. After a 2 months trip to The United States, in 2007 FIDIA decided to overturn his career, leaving the #design industry and moving into #contemporaryart, which he found to be the ideal way to express and portray his feelings. The artist felt the need to start talking about the dark side of the world, trying to bring it to a more creative level. He realized that the best way to have
a better world was to create positive art for the world. Over a few very successful years FIDIA exhibited his work in museums, art fairs and galleries in India, France, The United States, Brazil, Indonesia, Switzerland,
The UK and of course Italy, highlighted by international awards, newspaper and many magazine publications.
He also spent long periods traveling outside of Italy, and he becomes inspired by the amazing things that
the world has to offer. FIDIA is currently present in galleries and museums worldwide.

MASSIMO GIACON was born in Padua, Italy, in 1961. He is an artist, designer, musician, and a lecturer at IED
in Milano. In 1979 he started publishing comics on a regular basis in the major specialized magazines (Frigidaire, Linus, Alter, Dolce Vita, Cyborg, Nova Express, Blue), soon becoming one of the points of reference for the “bizarre” comics. In 1980 he started a music activity that drove him to create several indie music bands. He has since concentrated on his musical activities as solo artist. In 1981, together with Vittore Baroni and Piermario Ciani
he took part in the multimedia network projet TRAX, the forerunner of the future activities of subversive Luther Blisset. Then he began a constant artistic-performing activity which led him to a series of exhibition events
in Italy, America, Greece, Portugual and Switzerland. In 1985 he took an interest in #design and launched into
a collaboration with some of the major architecture offices in Milan (Sottsass, Mendini, Thun). He also created designs for the well-known brands such as Memphis, Swatch, Artemide, Alessi. He designed carpets, laminated materials, illustrations for fashion magazines, websites, fabrics, virtual characters, TV theme songs, ceramics, and is now working for graphic novels, various editorial projects, musical and commercial videos, new #design objects, art exhibitions and music production with his side project Massimo Giacon and the Blass.

JOE LEDBETTER (aka: J.Led) is an artist, illustrator and toy designer based in #losangeles, CA.
His distinctive style is deeply influenced by classic animation, underground comics, skateboarding and 1980’s video games. Over the years, Ledbetter has created an incredible cast of creatures used to anthropomorphize
the human condition. With crisp bold lines and a vibrant palette, he mixes irony, social criticism and mischief, making his work universal and unmistakable. He earned a degree in Sociology from Humboldt State University
in 2001, and despite a limited amount of formal art training, began his career as a graphic artist in the apparel industry. Working his way up from underground art shows, he’s been at his craft full-time since 2004 holding solo art exhibitions in 9 different countries, collaborating with top brands (IKEA, Swatch, Nike, Sony Music, Kidrobot), exhibiting in museum shows (Andy Warhol Museum, MADRE Museum Italy, Bristol City Museum, Riverside Art Museum), sold work at Christie’s auction house in New York, and has been featured in The #losangeles Times, Architectural Digest, #people Magazine, Juxtapoz Magazine and Hi-Fructose Magazine. He is most known for his innovative and distinctive designer toys.

SIMONE LEGNO is the Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of tokidoki. Born in Rome, Italy, Legno drew incessantly as a child and kept drawing and designing as a student of #ied - Istituto Europeo di #design in Rome. The boxes of chewed, broken and unsharpened pencils he adored as a kid were the beginnings of a passion for art that led to the eventual creation of tokidoki. tokidoki has collaborated with many brands such as Karl Lagerfeld, Guggenheim Museum, Kartell, Sephora, LeSportsac, Onitsuka Tiger, Marvel, New Era, Hello Kitty, Fujitsu, Levi’s, Smashbox cosmetics, Xbox, T-mobile, Medicom Toy, Major League Baseball, Skullcandy, Barbie, Canon, Black Eyed Peas, and more. Since officially launching in 2005, tokidoki has grown into an internationally recognized pop-culture lifestyle brand and has amassed a cult-like following for its larger-than-life characters, megawatt partnerships and extensive range of products from apparel and handbags to home décor and even slot machines. tokidoki means “sometimes” in Japanese. Legno, who has always had a deep love of Japan and fascination with world cultures, chose the word because he feels “everyone waits for moments that change one’s destiny, by chance or by meeting a new person”. Simone’s special moment arrived when his designs drew the attention
of entrepreneurs Pooneh Mohajer and Ivan Arnold, who spied the art on his personal website and convinced him to move to L.A. to build a brand. As the creator of tokidoki, Simone has become a sought-after speaker around the world at museums, universities and conferences, from MOCA (the Geffen Museum-Los Angeles) to the Adobe MAX conference, UCLA, USC, the Flash Film Festival in San Francisco, Art Center College of #design, Apple store
in Osaka, Istituto Europeo di #design in Rome, Singapore Toy and Comic Convention, Grafika Manila and many others. tokidoki started as Legno’s professional online portfolio and artistic diary while living in Italy, where he showcased his illustrations, advertising and new media designs for various clients. A partial list of these clients includes Volkswagen, MTV, John Galliano, Champion, Toyota, Renault, Daihatsu, BenQ, Microsoft, Narcotic Bureau of Singapore, Telecom Italia, and TIM.

SPEAKERS

GIORGIA MANNUCCI is a cultural and art marketing specialist with several years of experience in the ultra #contemporaryart market and specific knowledge of Pop Surrealism, Street Art and the Toy Designer field.
After a few years working in both the fashion industry and the #event organization world, she decided to pursue her studies in art business and management at the “Alma Mater Studiorum” University of Bologna, where she earned her graduate degree in 2008. Her first encounter with designer toys happened by chance once she started working with MondoPOP Gallery in Rome, which specialized in the Pop Surrealist movement. In the following years she also contributed in culture blogs and online art magazines on the subject. As an advocate and aficionado for social media for cultural institutions she has taken part in international field research (published in 2016) with the Italian organization Civita, as well hosting special courses in Italian Universities on the topic. Currently the general manager of artist Joe Ledbetter’s studio she handles of all the aspects of a cultural product development: company general strategy and analysis of the market, creative marketing and promotion, public relations, events and sales. Her passion for art has also led Giorgia to be become a member of the LACMA Docent Council, where she gives tours of the museum collection for elementary school field trips.

VALERIA RUMORI has been the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in #losangeles since January 2015.
She has worked for the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, then at Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate General for Cultural Affairs, as Bilateral Agreements and Programs Coordinator for Cultural and Scientific Cooperation with Europe and North America, for the Fulbright Commission, and she has also been head of the International University Cooperation division. She was Interim Director and Director of the Italian Cultural Institutes in San Francisco and Marseilles, France.

IGOR ZANTI has been working for several years as art critic and curator of ‘contemporary art and applied arts projects. Since 2005 he has been the curator of Barbara Mahler Gallery in Switzerland. He co-founded and takes part in the Jury of the prestigious Art Prize “Arte Laguna” as well as “I diari della Terra” Photographic Art Prize.
He is an artistic consultant of several cultural associations, and has been appointed as Artistic Director of Museum Brolo Centre of Art and Culture in Mogliano Veneto (TV) in 2008. He has been cooperating with #ied since 2009, first as a lecturer and then, since 2012, as #ied Venezia Director. He is also a contributor to various art magazines.

NOT AN ARTIST - Toyboyz edition

June 6 - Sept 20, 2018

IIC Los Angeles
1023 Hilgard Ave,
#losangeles, CA 90024 USA