China, April 2022 - Gufram, the Italian brand known worldwide for carrying on the spirit of Radical Design, is proud to announce that the Gufram Gallery in Sanlitun - Beijing’s B1 area of the Taikoo Li Mall will reopen with a new exhibition dedicated to its historic and at the same time contemporary icons. Inaugurated during the 2022 Sanlitun Fashion Festival, “The Super Pratone” will remain on show from April 14th to May 15th.
The new Gufram flagship store, inaugurated in 2021, celebrates the history of the brand as well as its contemporary radical creations through a set up designed as a metaphysical Italian porched square. Arches and columns create a surreal setting in which the brand’s domestic sculptures can be celebrated on pedestals, just like actual sculptures.
On this occasion Gufram Gallery will be presenting the three new editions of CACTUS® , which, since it was designed by Drocco and Mello in 1972, has always been subject to uncomfortable, free and often equivocal interpretations. Still produced with the original mould, these three limited editions of 99 pieces each stem from the collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts. The results are ANDY’S PINK CACTUS® , ANDY’S YELLOW CACTUS® , and ANDY’S BLUE CACTUS® , the perfect translation of Andy Warhol’s screenprints into prickly design multiples.
In the gallery, the exhibition will also display PRATONE FOREVER® for the first time in China. The chaise longue is a version of PRATONE® created to celebrate the 50 year anniversary of this timeless icon. While maintaining its soft polyurethane soul, PRATONE FOREVER® changes its “skin”. This special edition is covered in an elastic wool bouclé fabric that adheres perfectly to the eccentric forms of this out of the ordinary chair, ensuring excellent resistance to wear and tear. The fabric is available in three different tones of green, green, greener and greenest, which on the one hand recall the classic color of PRATONE® and on the other play on the fact that, over the years, the green has never been identical to itself. Each PRATONE® , in fact, can be considered a unique piece, being entirely finished by hand. About 30% smaller than the original and featuring 25 stems instead of the classic 42, PRATONE FOREVER remains faithful to the Radical spirit that distinguishes its aesthetic.
At the same time, a version of PRATONE® will rise in the middle of the mannerist architecture in the mall’s main square. SUPER PRATONE® is a sort of visionary inflatable blow up of the original as it maintains its color, proportions and traditional softness. Standing 3 m tall and with a length and width of 4.5 m, its 34 giant stems form a labyrinth through which guests can easily get lost.
The purpose of Gufram Gallery, supported by Global Design Distribution, Gufram’s exclusive distributor in Greater China, is that of presenting iconic design pieces, displaying the new CACTUS® collaboration and the iconic PRATONE FOREVER® , and allowing visitors to fully enjoy and interact with the Italian brand’s inflatable SUPER PRATONE® .
