2+2=5: Franco Mazzucchelli and visionary geometry at Milan's VG9 Palace

For the first time, Palazzo VG9, headquarters of the Crédit Agricole insurance hub in Milan, opens its doors to the public with a major artistic event: the exhibition 2+2=5 by Franco Mazzucchelli (Milan, Italy, 1939), open until April 12, 2025.

The exhibition, curated by Sabino Maria Frassà, brings to the heart of the city a reflection on art and geometry, proposing a visionary path that intends to subvert the rules of perception and form. Franco Mazzucchelli, known for his inflatable works and ability to transform materials and spaces, invites the public to immerse themselves in a universe of non-Euclidean geometries and shifting perspectives.

This event aims to emphasize the growing dialogue between finance and art, a combination of strategic vision and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Crédit Agricole Group has entrusted the artistic direction of the project to Sabino Maria Frassà, who was recently reappointed to lead CRAMUM and is known for his commitment to bringing art to the center of the Italian business world, collaborating with entities such as Gaggenau, Grandi Stazioni and Listone Giordano. Admission to the exhibition is free.

“2+2=5”: Mazzucchelli’s vision.

The exhibition features 18 new works, including BD - Bieca Decorazione, inflatable paintings made of iridescent and metallic materials. These works aim to challenge artistic and aesthetic conventions, creating a play of light and reflections that varies depending on the environment and the viewer’s perception.

The title “2+2=5” is a provocation that invites us to go beyond the limits of the rational, embracing the possibility of alternative thinking. Sabino Maria Frassà, curator of the exhibition, explains, “After decades dedicated to geometry, with his ’non-Euclidean works,’ Franco Mazzucchelli has pushed the boundaries of convention even further. The father of elliptic geometry, Georg Bernhard Riemann, said, ’If only I had the theorems! Then I would find the demonstrations quite easily.’ Similarly, Mazzucchelli invites us to go beyond the visible and imagine what is not yet known. It is not so much a matter of justifying what we see, but of intuiting and understanding the unknown.”

Mazzucchelli’s approach is both ironic and profound. His works, which at first glance may appear to be simple decorations, conceal a more complex message: an invitation to reflect on the changing nature of reality and the role of art as a tool for exploring new ways of thinking and living. “Everything is relative,” Frassà continues, “and that is the beauty of life: never flat, predictable or the same. The ’new’ geometry proposed by Mazzucchelli is a set of indefinable lights and darks, rendered through iridescent metallic colors that, varying with light from black to purple to green, prevent an unambiguous definition. The artifact thus becomes the starting point for further reflection: in front of his inflatable paintings, one can stop at the pure artistic impression or choose to go further and delve deeper. Thus, behind this ’bland decoration’ lies a light and ironic, yet pervasive and disarming ideological approach that invites the audience to explore new ways of interpreting art and existence itself.”

A marriage of art, finance and CSR

The event is a concrete example of how art can dialogue with the world of finance. The Crédit Agricole Group, which has been committed to cultural promotion for years, confirms with this initiative its role as a promoter of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

“As the Agricole Group, we strongly believe in supporting art as a way to tell the story of the territory and strengthen the bond with people,” explains Marco Di Guida, CEO of Crédit Agricole Vita and Crédit Agricole Assicurazioni. "The decision to host the works of Franco Mazzucchelli in our headquarters responds to the desire to celebrate an important Milanese artist right in the heart of the city. Our headquarters, inaugurated in 2022 after an extensive renovation aimed at making it an environment that combines design, sustainability and functionality, but above all designed for people, matches the modernity and lightness of the 2+2=5 project."

Inaugurated in 2022, the VG9 Building is an example of contemporary architecture that reflects the Group’s values: modernity, lightness, and care for the environment. In this context, Mazzucchelli’s exhibition fits in with the goal of transforming the space into a place of interaction between art and community.

2+2=5: Franco Mazzucchelli and visionary geometry at Milan's VG9 Palace

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