On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2024, the Free University of Bolzano hosts the exhibition PINK. Women Pioneers of Graphic Design. Women in the History of Italian Graphic Design and a talk on the role of women graphic designers between the 1950s and 1970s of the last century.
The stories of the arts and professions are often narrated through a predominantly male perspective. The PINK project has reconstructed and showcases the figures and contributions of female graphic designers active between the 1950s and 1970s in Italy, in a period of great change for Italian society, between the economic boom and new behaviours. Through posters, books, sketches, drawings and photographs, the exhibition reveals not only extraordinary graphic artefacts, but also the lives of autonomous, courageous and talented women who successfully reconciled their professional and private lives.
On the occasion of March 8, 2024, the Equal Opportunities Committee of the Free University of Bolzano wanted the exhibition produced and curated by AIAP CDPG. The inauguration will be introduced by a talk by Francesco E. Guida, associate professor at the Polytechnic of Milan (Department of Design) and coordinator of the Documentation Centre on the Graphic Design of AIAP. The talk, introducing the exhibition, delves into the historical, historiographical and scientific reasons for PINK’s research, offering a complete perspective on the figures of the women who constitute its heart.
“The years to which PINK refers represented a period in which the work placement of Italian women, even in professional sectors that were in some ways ‘privileged’, was conditioned by stereotypes. The protagonists of the exhibition are prominent figures such as Brunetta Mateldi, Anita Klinz, Claudia Morgagni, Simonetta Ferrante, Jeanne Grignani, Umberta Barni, Carla Gorgerino, Ornella Linke Bossi, Alda Sassi (Alsa), and Lora Lamm. These women not only left an indelible mark on the field of graphic design, but also challenged the prejudices of the time on female roles.”
“Writing women’s stories, or rather, rewriting women in history is a way to restore visibility to the fundamental role that women have had and have in the broader social, cultural, artistic and scientific context, a way to offer more realistic and inclusive models and references in which future generations can also reflect themselves,” explains Letizia Bollini, full professor at the Faculty of Design and Arts, who will be in conversation with Guida during the scheduled talk.
Exhibition curated by Francesco E. Guida and Lorenzo Grazzani.
The conference will be held on March 8, 2024, from 11:00 to 13:00, in room D0.02. The PINK exhibition will be inaugurated at 13:00, Foyer Biblioteca.
Friday, March 8, 2024 Free University of Bolzano, Piazza Università 1
The exhibition will remain open until March 18, 2024 Times: Mon/Fri 8:00–17:00; Sat 8:00–11:00
Participation is free and open to all interested people
PINK is a project conceived by Paola Ciandrini (CNR, University of Macerata), Francesco E. Guida (Politecnico di Milano, AIAP CDPG) and Lorenzo Grazzani (AIAP CDPG).
