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The work of French designer Ora Ito pops up in all sorts of unexpected places: a tramway in Nice, a private Airbus jet, and a Nike trainer (based on the Eames Lounge Chair). But the legendary Unité d’Habitation housing estate, designed by Le Corbusier in midcentury Marseille, is an old friend. In 2013, when Marseille served as the European Capital of Culture, Ito redeveloped the rooftop into a public gallery called Marseille Modulor, or MAMO. So it’s no surprise he’s returned – this time to exhibit his work indoors, in the building’s permanent exhibition space. What’s unexpected will be the content: rather than his slick industrial design, here he will show his first collection of fine art.
Ito Ora at Grammatology, Part I, Galerie Podgorny (c) Laurent Thareau, ADAGP, 2024. Courtesy of Ora ïto and Podgorny Gallery
Installation view Ora Ïto, Grammatology, Part I, Galerie Podgorny (c) Laurent Thareau, ADAGP, 2024. Courtesy of Ora ïto and Podgorny Gallery
Installation view Ora Ïto, Grammatology, Part I, Galerie Podgorny (c) Laurent Thareau, ADAGP, 2024. Courtesy of Ora ïto and Podgorny Gallery
Installation view Ora Ïto, Grammatology, Part I, Galerie Podgorny (c) Laurent Thareau, ADAGP, 2024. Courtesy of Ora ïto and Podgorny Gallery
Installation view Ora Ïto, Grammatology, Part I, Galerie Podgorny (c) Laurent Thareau, ADAGP, 2024. Courtesy of Ora ïto and Podgorny Gallery
Installation view Ora Ïto, Grammatology, Part I, Galerie Podgorny (c) Laurent Thareau, ADAGP, 2024. Courtesy of Ora ïto and Podgorny Gallery
While the first half of the exhibition, Grammatology I, debuts at Galerie Podgorny in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the Kolektiv Cité Radieuse, located within the sprawling UNESCO-listed Unité complex, is installing Grammatology II. It will launch on 20 July and run through 24 August.
Ïto has been called, variously, an iconoclast and enfant terrible who avoids right angles, gravitating to glossy primary colour and high contrast. This artwork is not a huge departure. Made of aluminium sheets and mineral resin, the pieces take inspiration from heroes like Calder, Miro, Daniel Buren and Felice Varini but also the Unité d’Habitation itself, executed by Le Corbusier with graphic hits of primary colour. They speak the language of modern and postmodern industrial design, yet they have no express function. So simple in their form, they express a more complex purpose in spirit only.
Language is the operative word here. The title of the show, ‘Grammatology’, refers to the ‘essential alphabet’ of design to which Ïto is returning. He is also designing a language for the future.
Grammatology I runs at Galerie Podgorny in Saint-Paul-de-Vence until 15 July 2024. Grammatology II launches at Kolektiv Cité Radieuse on 20 July to 24 August.
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