The history of the Memphis Group dates back to the 1980s but as time goes by, its echo lingers on and so does its following, particularly in terms of connections between Italy and Los Angeles. The innovative design and architecture group was founded in Milan in 1981 by renowned artist Ettore Sottsass, and remained active until 1988. Some people still consider the Lombard experience simply as a wise recovery from the kitsch style, while it actually went far beyond that.
The Memphis Group’s ambitious projects and inspiration – especially for that time – used to draw on the past tradition as much as on more recent history, developing an identity as one of the most dynamic postmodern avantgardes. The name was inspired by the famous refrain with the Memphis blues again from Bob Dylan’s song “Stuck Inside The Mobile,” which was played over and over again at the group’s first meeting. Among the affiliates were Michele de Lucchi, Aldo Cibic, Matteo Thun, Marco Zanini, Martine Bedin, and many others gravitated towards the group.
One of them was born and raised in Los Angeles, precisely in the area of Echo Park that is one of the most vibrant in the city, where he still works as an artist. Peter Shire has always been associated with the Memphis Group’s design, mainly due to his contribution as a sculptor to the colorful and abstract forms of the pieces of furniture, as well as to his glass working skills, developed in Murano, Italy, in the 1970s. “The world of art – Shire would remind – tends to categorize artists. When I think of my position in it, I realize that it’s extremely flexible because I cross over so many boundaries.” And to emphasize this idea even more, he adds, “If Leonardo was alive today he would probably be working at Cape Canaveral.” Although he doesn’t deny a strong influence of Bauhaus, Futurism, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco, Peter Shire’s career in art has never followed a linear path. And the experience with the Memphis Group in Milan allowed him to approach the absolute rigidity of modernism, declining the parameters – mostly visual and unexpected – of post-modernism, with a personal style that combines technology and aesthetics.
To celebrate once again that historical moment of artistic turmoil – mainly but not exclusively Italian -, the IIC of Los Angeles organized the exhibition “Reality Within Reality: Peter Shire” that focuses on the fracture between postmodernism and all previous artistic movements through some of Peter Shire’s works and preparatory drawings from the Memphis Group. The exhibition opened on Thursday, March 19 and will remain on view to the public until April 18.
“I am crazy about the Italians – Shire said at the opening, – and this is because the Italians are crazy. Look at this exhibition, for example: it was installed in just 4 hours even though it took me 30 years of work to create it. This is amazing!” On the same occasion, Deputy of Arts and Culture of the L.A. City Council Isaac Burks presented a special recognition to the artist, the IIC Director Valeria Rumori, and curator Alessandro Patrosi for the value of the exhibition, which has once again strengthened the ties between Los Angeles and Italy.
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