Francesco Simeti. Questa stanza non ha più pareti. Second Act
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Via G. B. Niccolini 35a, 20154, Milan
Event open to the public, with free registration at the entrance
6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Via G. B. Niccolini 35a, 20154, Milan
Event open to the public, with free registration at the entrance
On the occasion of Milano Art Week 2026, Fondazione Officine Saffi presents to the public the completion of Questa stanza non ha più pareti, a permanent site-specific installation by Francesco Simeti, created within the Foundation’s spaces.
Conceived from its earliest stages as an open and evolving work, Questa stanza non ha più pareti is based on the idea of bringing together, within a single surface, fragments of ceramic decoration from different historical periods and cultures. The images—transferred onto ceramic slabs using Iris Ceramica Group’s Design Your Slabs technology—form a composition in which references distant in time and space enter into dialogue. The result is a layered visual texture that reshapes the perception of the environment and symbolically expands its boundaries.
Continuing this transformative approach, the work is now enriched by a new group of ceramic sculptures that further extend its spatial and relational dimension. The new installation presents the outcome of a collaboration between Simeti and a group of teenagers from the Milanese community Associazione Qiqajon, who participated in a workshop held in the Foundation’s ceramics studio. During their first encounter with handcrafted ceramic processes, the group of eight young participants created a series of three-dimensional sculptures using plaster molds. These forms draw inspiration from decorative motifs already present in the installation, derived from the natural world—both plant and animal.
The newly presented sculptures do not simply add to the original surface; rather, they activate a sculptural continuation of it. The ornamental repertoire is translated into volumes that inhabit the space, strengthening the dialogue between past and present, and between cultural memory and shared contemporary practice.
While the artist’s initial intervention enveloped the environment in an imaginary landscape—through the application of large ceramic slabs featuring enlarged details drawn from the history of decoration—this new phase introduces a different perceptual threshold. The decorative elements seem to detach from the surface, becoming body, volume, and presence. Installed on the walls of the same café space, the sculptures both complete and re-energize the original work, transforming the setting into an even more immersive environment.
The workshop process has been central to this evolution. Through direct engagement with ceramic materials and forming techniques, participants took part in an experience that combines the learning of craft skills with reflection on images and collective practice. The work thus confirms its nature as an open platform—capable of generating relationships and activating a space within the Foundation dedicated to encounter, study, and dialogue.
The collaboration with Associazione Qiqajon further reinforces the Foundation’s commitment to promoting projects that integrate artistic research with educational engagement, extending over time the cultural impact of the initiative.
Created with the support of Iris Ceramica Group, the installation continues to embody the dialogue between ceramic tradition, technological innovation, and artistic experimentation that defines both Francesco Simeti’s practice and the mission of Fondazione Officine Saffi.
Francesco Simeti was born in Palermo, Italy (1968), and he lives and works in New York, United States. He is an artist known for his site-specific installations, which aesthetically present enchanting scenes that reveal a more complex subtext upon closer inspection. His work often appropriates photographs from newspapers and magazines to raise questions about the role of images in contemporary discourse. Public art is a fundamental aspect of his practice, he has worked with Percent for Art and Public Art for Public Schools in New York, the Multnomah county in Oregon and has created permanent additions to subway stations in Brooklyn and Chicago. He has had solo exhibitions at venues such as Assembly Room, New York, (2019); Open Source Gallery, New York (2017); Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Palermo (2012); and Artists Space, New York (2009). His work has been included in group exhibitions at Museo Civico di Castelbuono, Palermo (2019); ICA Singapore (2017); Palazzo Reale, Milan (2016); and Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art, Turin (2014). He has also exhibited works at the Triennale di Milano (2014 and 2013).
Francesco Simeti’s Questa stanza non ha più pareti can be visited by appointment and on the occasion of events and exhibitions promoted by the foundation.
Conceived from its earliest stages as an open and evolving work, Questa stanza non ha più pareti is based on the idea of bringing together, within a single surface, fragments of ceramic decoration from different historical periods and cultures. The images—transferred onto ceramic slabs using Iris Ceramica Group’s Design Your Slabs technology—form a composition in which references distant in time and space enter into dialogue. The result is a layered visual texture that reshapes the perception of the environment and symbolically expands its boundaries.
Continuing this transformative approach, the work is now enriched by a new group of ceramic sculptures that further extend its spatial and relational dimension. The new installation presents the outcome of a collaboration between Simeti and a group of teenagers from the Milanese community Associazione Qiqajon, who participated in a workshop held in the Foundation’s ceramics studio. During their first encounter with handcrafted ceramic processes, the group of eight young participants created a series of three-dimensional sculptures using plaster molds. These forms draw inspiration from decorative motifs already present in the installation, derived from the natural world—both plant and animal.
The newly presented sculptures do not simply add to the original surface; rather, they activate a sculptural continuation of it. The ornamental repertoire is translated into volumes that inhabit the space, strengthening the dialogue between past and present, and between cultural memory and shared contemporary practice.
While the artist’s initial intervention enveloped the environment in an imaginary landscape—through the application of large ceramic slabs featuring enlarged details drawn from the history of decoration—this new phase introduces a different perceptual threshold. The decorative elements seem to detach from the surface, becoming body, volume, and presence. Installed on the walls of the same café space, the sculptures both complete and re-energize the original work, transforming the setting into an even more immersive environment.
The workshop process has been central to this evolution. Through direct engagement with ceramic materials and forming techniques, participants took part in an experience that combines the learning of craft skills with reflection on images and collective practice. The work thus confirms its nature as an open platform—capable of generating relationships and activating a space within the Foundation dedicated to encounter, study, and dialogue.
The collaboration with Associazione Qiqajon further reinforces the Foundation’s commitment to promoting projects that integrate artistic research with educational engagement, extending over time the cultural impact of the initiative.
Created with the support of Iris Ceramica Group, the installation continues to embody the dialogue between ceramic tradition, technological innovation, and artistic experimentation that defines both Francesco Simeti’s practice and the mission of Fondazione Officine Saffi.
Francesco Simeti was born in Palermo, Italy (1968), and he lives and works in New York, United States. He is an artist known for his site-specific installations, which aesthetically present enchanting scenes that reveal a more complex subtext upon closer inspection. His work often appropriates photographs from newspapers and magazines to raise questions about the role of images in contemporary discourse. Public art is a fundamental aspect of his practice, he has worked with Percent for Art and Public Art for Public Schools in New York, the Multnomah county in Oregon and has created permanent additions to subway stations in Brooklyn and Chicago. He has had solo exhibitions at venues such as Assembly Room, New York, (2019); Open Source Gallery, New York (2017); Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Palermo (2012); and Artists Space, New York (2009). His work has been included in group exhibitions at Museo Civico di Castelbuono, Palermo (2019); ICA Singapore (2017); Palazzo Reale, Milan (2016); and Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art, Turin (2014). He has also exhibited works at the Triennale di Milano (2014 and 2013).
Francesco Simeti’s Questa stanza non ha più pareti can be visited by appointment and on the occasion of events and exhibitions promoted by the foundation.
