Commerce Gallery in Milan presents Umarell 02
Featuring a conversation with Jocelyn Froimovich, Urtzi Grau, Stefano Graziani, Matilde Cassani, and Giovanna Silva, alongside images by photographer Guido Guidi.
Umarell follows the construction of Lorenteggio’s Library in Milan and is named after a light-hearted Bolognese term used to describe retired men who spend their time watching construction sites and offering unsolicited advice to workers.
Published twice a year as 100x70 cm portrait posters, Umarell is posted on the walls of the neighbourhood of Giambellino-Lorenteggio. Each issue includes Images and text. The images are local. They portray the library’s site and the neighbourhood Giambellino-Lorenteggio. They look at its people, its buildings, its histories, its streets. Their authors have visited the site in person. The texts arrive from outside Milan. They discuss what entails to construct a library, how one collects a large number of books in a specific site. Their authors do not live in Italy and might have never visited Lorenteggio.
Umarell 01 (April 2024) included the text ‘La Biblioteca di Middleton’ by Robin Middleton and four images of Giambellino-Lorenteggio by Giovana Silva.
Umarell 02 (November 2024) includes the text ‘Manuel Corrada’ by Jocelyn Froimovich, and one image of the Osram Factory from the Gabriele Basilico Archives.
Umarell 03 (by April 2025) will include the text “What is a library, anyway?” by Ethel Baraona and images Lorenteggio by Guido Guidi.
Umarell is edited by Jocelyn Froimovich and Urtzi Grau. Pietro Pezzani oversees the translations, and it has been designed by Numa-Merino. Umarell is supported by the Research Development Initiative Fund (RDIF) of University of Liverpool.
Guido Guidi (Cesena, 1941) is a renowned photographer whose works, including In Between Cities, Guardando a Est, A New Map of Italy, and Veramente, have significantly shaped contemporary photography. His contributions are currently celebrated in a retrospective show at MAXXI in Rome. Giovanna Silva (Milan, 1980), also a photographer, has published extensively with Mousse, Hatje Cantz, and Nero, among others. She teaches Photography at NABA Milan, IUAV Venice, and ISIA Urbino. Matilde Cassani (Domodossola, 1980) explores the intersections of architecture, installation, and event design. Her works have been featured in leading cultural institutions and journals like Architectural Review, Domus, and Abitare, and she currently teaches at Politecnico di Milano, Domus Academy, and the Architectural Association in London. Stefano Graziani (Bologna, 1971) is a photographer whose work has been exhibited at Fondazione Prada and the Venice Architecture Biennale, with pieces in collections such as MAXXI in Rome. He teaches photography at IUAV Venice, NABA Milan, and ISIA Urbino. Urtzi Grau (Bilbao, 1976) is an architect and senior lecturer at UTS Sydney, while Jocelyn Froimovich (Viña del Mar, 1981) is an architect and lecturer at the University of Liverpool. Together, Grau and Froimovich are key members of the team designing the New Lorenteggio Library in Milan.