Pristina, the exhibition Carissimo Pinocchio: designer e grafici italiani ridisegnano il burattino più famoso del mondo

On the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the first edition of Carlo Collodi's book The Adventures of Pinocchio - Story of a Marionette, the most translated Italian book in the world, the exhibition "Carissimo Pinocchio: designer e grafici italiani ridisegnano il burattino più famoso del mondo" (Dearest Pinocchio: Italian Designers and Graphic Designers Redesign the World's most Famous Marionnette) arrives in Kosovo. The exhibition is organized at the Prishtina Mall, the largest shopping centre in the Balkans and South-Eastern Europe, where it will be open to the public free of charge from 6 to 29 April 2024. Organised by "ADI Design Museum" and curated by Giulio Iacchetti with an exhibition project by Matteo Vercelloni and graphic design by Federica Marziale Iadevaia, the Kosovo stage of the exhibition is the result of the collaboration between the Italian Embassy in Pristina, the Italian Cultural Institute (IIC) and the ICE/ITA Agency in Tirana, which is also responsible for Kosovo, as well as the "Prishtina Mall".

The exhibition is introduced by a historical section, curated by Marco Belpoliti, which welcomes visitors with covers, drawings and historical illustrations and concludes with a selection of original drawings from one of the last works by Andrea Branzi, the recently deceased architect, designer, theorist and undisputed protagonist of the radical avant-garde, to whom the exhibition is dedicated. At the heart of the exhibition there are 62 projects by 31 designers and 31 graphic designers, specially created for the exhibition, expressing the feelings and works of many Italian designers: a wide-ranging look at the ability of Italian design to create timeless images and objects, thus celebrating the myth of Geppetto, "the first Italian designer" in the words of curator Iacchetti.

The inauguration of the exhibition 'Carissimo Pinocchio' in Pristina is scheduled for Saturday, 6 April at 7 p.m., with Granit Miftari (RTV21) presenting the event and speeches by Italian Deputy Ambassador Ugo Ferrero, "Prishtina Mall" Property Manager Alvaro Costa, and "ADI Design Museum" General Coordinator Maria Pina Poledda. In addition to the illustration of the exhibition, a special reading of "Pinocchio" for children in Albanian is planned, with games and prizes.

The Italian Ambassador to Kosovo, Antonello De Riu, explained: "The 140th anniversary of Collodi's book is an opportunity to celebrate and commemorate a masterpiece of Italian literature, but also to emphasise the multidisciplinary nature of the design that inspired the figure of Pinocchio - the design that is the heritage of a cultural richness capable of asking questions, and providing answers, to the needs of everyday life."

The exhibition 'Carissimo Pinocchio' was organised at the "ADI Design Museum" in Milan between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, attracting over 20,000 visitors. Thanks to the collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the exhibition set off on a two-year international tour that has already made a stop in San Francisco and Skopje. After the Pristina stop, the exhibition will travel to Tirana and then on to Belgrade. It will then continue its journey to the rest of Europe, Asia and America. At the end of the travelling tour, the 62 specially created Pinocchio will be auctioned off in a charity auction.