Mondrian in Milan: ZEDZ’s mural transforms Corvetto

A public art project inspired by the figure of the great Dutch painter Piet Mondrian and his influence in every creative field. This is the intuition that led to the creation of a work of neo-muralism signed by Dutch artist ZEDZ in the heart of Corvetto, a neighborhood in the southern suburbs of Milan that has been transforming into a creative district in recent years. The decision to entrust the work to ZEDZ, a multidisciplinary artist and multifaceted designer, expresses the desire to recall the eclectic approach of Mondrian, whose work has profoundly influenced every sphere of artistic expression, from architecture to design, from fashion to urban art.

The project was born within a program designed by Mudec and 24 ORE Cultura in collaboration with the Consulate of the Netherlands and the support of Unipol, on the occasion of the exhibition Piet Mondrian. From Figuration to Abstraction. , hosted at Mudec from to March 2022; a program of public panels, videos and podcasts to explore different aspects of a revolutionary artist whose language forever transformed the relationship between art, space and form.

The Mural in Piazza Angilberto, in the heart of Corvetto, has given rise to an annual, itinerant event, with the collaboration of big names in international street art, in which art goes beyond the confines of the museum to create a deeper bond between institutions and the community, enhancing the territory through the regeneration of urban spaces and the involvement of citizens. It is no coincidence that the first work was created in a recently redeveloped area of Milan, transformed into a pedestrian space enriched with bicycle lanes, new green areas and renovated street furniture.

From the museum to the street: the Mudec and urban art

The project is part of a journey on public art whose main actors are Mudec and the city of Milan, the first municipality in Italy to have an Art in Public Space Office, directed by Marina Pugliese.

Since its foundation, Mudec has established itself as a place of cultural contamination, an open and multicultural space, consistent with its identity as a Museum of World Cultures. With this in mind, the focus on urban art is part of a long-term project that combines anthropological and artistic research. This approach is reflected in significant interventions preceding ZEDZ’s mural, such as the space dedicated to street art in Mudec’s courtyard, where the artist SEF.01 has created a work representative of Milan’s Peruvian community, and the urban redevelopment project Un Muro che Unisce, a 400-meter open-air gallery connecting San Cristoforo to Mudec, in the heart of City Hall 6.