The Italian Pavilion at the Frankfurt Book Fair is designed by Stefano Boeri

The Italian Pavilion at the 2024 Frankfurt Book Fair has been designed by Stefano Boeri: a 2,300-square-meter layout designed, commissioned by Extraordinary Commissioner Mauro Mazza, by the multidisciplinary studio Stefano Boeri Interiors, founded by architect Stefano Boeri with architect Giorgio Donà. In line with the theme"Roots in the Future" chosen for the Italian Pavilion, the exhibition design is inspired by the canons of the Italian piazza, understood not only as a space but also as a generating principle and identity symbol par excellence of the Italian and European city.The allegory of the Italian piazza proposed by Stefano Boeri Interiors recalls the limpid architectural structure characteristic of Italy’s historic centers and the piazza as a place of informal relationships, a privileged stage for the unpredictability of everyday life.

In the intentions of the commissioners and architect, the Italian Pavilion is a place of encounter and cultural exchange, where past and future find expression in the form of unexpected combinations, thanks to which literature, music, art and everyday life dialogue in an open and engaging way among the tables, porticoes, androni, civic buildings and sacred architecture. The square is thus both the allegory and the physical cast of an urban community, but also the setting where the narrative imagination of hundreds of women writers has been deposited over the centuries. A space thanks to which Italian culture and in particular its literature have represented themselves in the world.

“Soul of our cities and of our country,” comments Stefano Boeri, “the square is the place of freedom of thought and expression: one can simply pass through it to reach a point of interest, or pause, sit, attend an event, demonstrate to defend a right, read a book, rest or imagine the life that took shape there in past eras. The square we have designed is not only the place to explore the latest publishing and literary novelties, but where to rediscover the value of meeting, dialogue and conviviality.”

“To convey these values to visitors to the Frankfurt Book Fair,” adds architect Giorgio Donà, “we wanted to create a space capable of welcoming and uniting forms of spontaneity that a square, with its architecture, can suggest. Columns, porticoes, steps and portals identify the foundations of a language that manifests itself in well-defined and recognizable spaces, forms and styles.”

Born from a shared idea with art historian Giovanni Agosti, the installation project is structured around those elements that traditionally make up Italian piazzas, beyond the countless historical and functional declinations that these places have taken on. The heart of the pavilion consists of a scaled-down reproduction of a piazza, created by drawing inspiration from the monochromatic tones of granite and stone; a rectangular space of about 2300sqm bordered by a series of columns in different architectural styles, and by four rows of porticoes, from which access is gained to the perimeter rooms that house the exhibitions selected for the Buchmesse.

The central space of the plaza, occupied by tables and seating, is separated from the porticoes by a perimeter of steps that serve as informal seating for passersby and visitors, as is usually the case in squares in Italy’s historic city centers.

The monument that occupies the central area, as often happens in Italian piazzas, is a work by architect, designer and artist Alessandro Mendini (1931-2019), one of the main protagonists of the great tradition of Italian Design. The work Guanto, an open hand as a sign of conviviality and welcome, part of the Fondazione Bisazza’s Mobili per Uomo collection, was selected together with Triennale Milano, an institution that promotes contemporary culture through the languages of design, architecture and the arts and that, at this time, with Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain is dedicating an extensive retrospective to Alessandro Mendini (in Triennale, until Nov. 10, 2024).

Part of the short side of the plaza is occupied by theArena, where the stage and stalls are located, intended for debates and presentations. On this side, a large screen hosts the video that director and visual artist Davide Rapp has dedicated to the presence of piazzas in Italian film history and culture. The opposite side of the square, on the other hand, leads to the Literary Café, which in turn is the setting for presentations, debates and comparisons. The staging lights and the different lighting landscapes that accompany the events and situations hosted in the square were designed by set designer and light designer Pasquale Mari, one of the leading figures in the history of contemporary Italian theater and cinema.

Overlooking the square are 10 rooms in which a series of thematic exhibitions and activities selected by Commissioner Mazza can be visited, dedicated to some of the most relevant expressions of Italian culture. Each of these perimeter rooms, which can be accessed through the porticoes, is unique for its chromatic tones and peculiar set-up choices as it happens with the buildings, different and multiform that characterize the perimeter or a historical Italian square.

Between technology and Made in Italy, the company Kartell presents a special display of products linked to the culture and roots of Italian design that, like the Ecological Panels® from the company Saviola made of 100 percent recycled and recyclable wood used for many of the pavilion’s surfaces, look to the future while respecting the environment. Morfeo Gadget introduces "3D Printing of the Future," live realizations of customized objects that evoke the motto of the Italian presence at Buchmesse. To top it off, the Italy Pavilion also offers the opportunity for a journey with historic Italian trains presented by the Italian FS Foundation and publications by Pirelli as a testament to the company’s role in innovation and cultural outreach. The institutions and partners involved in the realization of the Italy Guest of Honor pavilion are numerous: the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, the Embassy of Italy in Berlin, ICE - Agency for the Promotion Abroad and Internationalization of Italian Enterprises, the Center for Books and Reading and the Italian Publishers Association. Sponsors and supporters of the project are: Audible, ENIT, FS Foundation, GO!2025, Kartell, Morfeo, Poste Italiane, Pirelli, Saviola, Villa Vigoni, while Rai is media partner.

The Italian Pavilion at the Frankfurt Book Fair is designed by Stefano Boeri

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