tangible vs. virtual

The tasks that many designers nowadays would do on computer, Monguzzi prefers to do with his hands. He uses traditional tools, like pens and scissors, arranging printed spreads, cutting and drawing, and truly enjoying the materiality of the process. His works therefore have a strong tactile quality and his books and catalogues sometimes remind the viewer of sculptural objects that unfold in space and time.

i have always remained a child and never ceased asking: why? —bruno monguzzi


Bruno Monguzzi wearing glasses, looking at the camera

Bruno Monguzzi, 2008. © Matteo Monguzzi.

the mirror method

In 1991, Monguzzi designed a poster for an exhibition of the work of abstract painter Florence Henri. For the poster Monguzzi used actual mirrors. In a way, he was copying Henri’s own favourite method—the artist often created illusory spaces, based on the interplay of real objects and their reflections. Monguzzi arranged a pair of mirrors, Henri’s portrait and a photocopy of it on a table. He observed the installation from a distance through a cut-out frame, as if through a camera lens, until he found the right “shot.”

 

A poster with multiple images of a woman's face
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