One-half of the duo behind major design and art gallery R&Company, Evan Snyderman, is in Milan this week and he’s sharing what is on his must-do list: from new collections to book launches, and from classic Milanese restaurants to film screenings. He shares with Whitewall why this week inspires and replenishes his belief that design can change the world.
Evan Snyderman, courtesy of R&Company.
WHITEWALL: What brings you to Milan Design Week this year?
EVAN SNYDERMAN: Although R & Company, as a gallery, is not participating in Milan Design Week/Salone, many artists we represent and collaborate with are present with projects and launches. This year several of our artists have events taking place during the week and I always like to be there to support them.
Serban Ionescu is celebrating the launch of his second book with Apartamento. Job Smeets is celebrating his 20th anniversary of Studio Job with a retrospective at Gallery Dilmos. Amini carpets is launching its collaboration with the Verner Panton estate–introducing a series of Panton-designed carpets to their heirloom program.
I try to visit Milan every year during Salone to stay in touch with what’s happening in the design scene and of course to see what friends and colleagues are up to. The upbeat tempo and energy that surrounds the city during this time replenishes my belief that design can change the world and make it a better place to live.
“Design can change the world and make it a better place to live,” — Evan Snyderman
WW: Within your roles as a gallerist, what are you looking for in Milan?
ES: Inspiration. I am always looking for a new discovery or an innovative display that might inspire me when designing exhibitions for the gallery. And we are also always looking for new talent. What I especially love about Milan is that there is design on every level, from the humble functional industrial design object to the most innovative radical conceptual design.
WW: What is on your must-see list in Milan?
ES: I am excited to see the RISD furniture design student exhibition. “We The Other,” a film by Maria Cristina Didero and Francesca Molteni on the work of the Campana Brothers. I always look forward to the T Magazine party at Villa Necchi, one of the most incredible modernist homes/museums in the world. The Triennale to see what is on view from their permanent collection. I usually avoid the actual fairgrounds at Rho. I don’t go to look for brands. I go to look for individual young artists and installations happening at galleries and studios around the city.
Where and What to Eat in Milan, According to Evan Snyderman
WW: Do you have any favorite Milan restaurants for design week? Any favorite orders?
ES: I tend to avoid trendy restaurants and go for old school and traditional Trattoria such as Da Giacomo or Trattoria Milanese or Stendhal Milano. I always order the Osso bucco with Risotto or other traditional dishes. It does not get any better.
I almost always end up having lunch at Rossana Orlandi or 10 Corso Como or somewhere random since you are on the run to see as many things as possible during the daylight. You have to eat wherever you are.
Evan Snyderman’s Milan Must-Do List
1. Serban Ionescu Celebrates 2nd Book with Apartamento.
148 Oblique Drawings by Serban Ionescu (and 1 large machine made of words), published by Apartamento.
148 Oblique Drawings by Serban Ionescu (and 1 large machine made of words) lures readers into Serban Ionescu’s sketchbook where the artist’s vibrant creations, with their playful, architectural spirit, live alongside a poem made with the help of friends and family of the Ionescu–Apartamento universes. The art book compiles a series of images made throughout Serban’s daily drawing practice from 2020–2023, which relied on ‘the same ruler, the same size paper…and the flow of watercolour. – Source
2. Job Smeets Retrospective at Gallery Dilmos, in “Golden Years / Acta Est Fabula”
Job Smeets, courtesy of Gallery Dilmos.
On view for FuoriSalone 2024, “Golden Years / Acta Est Fabula” presents a collection of sculptures and works over two acts. The exhibition showcases the breadth of creativity from artist Job Smeets, first in a celebratory “Golden Years,” and secondly in a more somber “Acta Est Fabula. “Every time I create a show or a new collection, I need to go deeper and deeper to surprise myself, and it takes so much from me, this time I nearly went too far,” said Smeets. “The atmosphere I want to create is the moment before a storm, the alarm bell, the restless animals, the sword. The night before the fall of a nation they still have parties. I predict the story will be over, like every story ends. The exhibition lures you in with its shiny polished bronze beauty, hinting however towards a darker story behind the pieces.”
3. Dinner at Da Giacomo
Courtesy of Da Giacomo.
For 65 years, Giacomo Milano has been a culinary parlor, an authentic lifestyle of mutual exchange, warmth and kindness. It all began thanks to Giacomo Bulleri. His restlessness mixed with ingenuity was, in fact, to be the driving force behind everything: a way of doing things that has become standard in Milanese catering and fine dining. – Source
4. Screening of “We The Others,” a Documentary on The Campanas
Photo by Fernando Laszlo, courtesy of Estudio Campana.
The documentary WE THE OTHERS, by Maria Cristina Didero and Francesca Molteni, presents the lives and works of Brazilian designers Fernando and Humberto Campana, marking the 40th anniversary of the founding of the studio. Beginning with the cactus-shaped toys made by the two brothers as children and ending with their latest project in their hometown of Brotas – a vast park in which 20,000 native trees have been planted and twelve “green pavilions” are under construction – the film aims to provide, through a series of interviews and Humberto’s voice and presence, a glimpse into the extraordinary existence of these two artists. The documentary also offers a broad overview of their global collaborations and those who have dialogued with the studio, both in Brazil and abroad. – Source
5. Dine at Stendhal Milano
Courtesy of Stendhal Milano.
The Milanese restaurant with an extra spark. From the most typical recipes from under the Madonnina unique flavors are born, combining the reliability of tradition with the thrill of novelty. Stendhal is a philosophy born of passion, perdition, and Milanese cuisine. Nestled in the mysterious artistic atmosphere of our location, or enveloped by the elegant panorama of Brera?
In summer, Dehors offers the opportunity to enjoy a meal caressed by the cool breeze. In winter, it is transformed, becoming a magical, fairy-tale garden, where eating Milanese becomes an unforgettable experience. – Source
6. Stop by 10 Corso Como
Courtesy of 10 Corso Como.
Set in the inner courtyard of a traditional Milanese palazzo, 10 Corso Como, designed by Kris Ruhs, is as much a cultural exploration as it is a shopping destination. The multifunctional space for meeting and mingling features a gallery, a bookshop, a fashion-focused store, a restaurant and café, a rooftop garden, and a three-room hotel. Browse the bookshop for publications on art, architecture, literature, design, and fashion; relax on the roof garden terrace and view contemporary sculptures and ceramics by Ruhs; look into reserving one of the hotel rooms and enjoy a night of personal hospitality; or make a brunch reservation at the café and enjoy gluten-free and vegan options.
