More news to come!
PLEASE JOIN US on Saturday, June 22, 2024, from 17:00 – 19:00, for a TALK AND PRESENTATION of four significant Berber carpets with reference to modernist architecture and design with architect RUGGERO TROPEANO.
Under discussion are four distinguished carpets with a white background, made before the nomadic population of the northeastern Middle Atlas became sedentary, acquired from a Swiss Collection. These four pieces were originally purchased at Wohnbedarf in Switzerland, who played an important role in importing and selling Berber rugs as the first store in Europe.
In the early 1930s, the art historian Sigfried Giedion, the architect Werner Max Moser and the businessman Rudolf Graber set out to offer a new type of furniture that was in tune with the social upheaval of the time and founded Wohnbedarf AG. From the very beginning, Wohnbedarf was closely associated with the development of new furniture and collaborated with many renowned architects and designers such as Max Bill, Marcel Breuer, Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and many others.
Wohnbedarf included Moroccan carpets in its product range early on. The importer, Emil Storrer, a former foreign legionnaire and knowledgeable collector who also sold African art to numerous museums, bought most of these carpets directly in the villages. The selection of rugs at Wohnbedarf was therefore considered unique far and wide.
Ruggero Tropeano, architect, collector and researcher, has realized exhibitions and renovations for Wohnbedarf, created the restoration concept for the Bauhaus building in Dessau, and donated together with Le Corbusier specialist Arthur Rüegg a collection of pioneering 20th century design objects to the Museum für Gestaltung Zurich.
RADICAL HARMONY is an exhibition of carpets from Morocco that juxtapose two seemingly incompatible aesthetics: the loud colorful, first quarter 21st century, and the subdued majestic, second quarter 20th century. Seen together, they spark a visual dialog which highlights the differences of place and time as well as the inherent characteristics associated with each type. A total of twenty pieces by Moroccan weavers from two different regions are on display.
An exhibition catalogue is available in English with a contribution by Prof. Paul Vandenbroeck, an article written by me and with images of the exhibited carpets. It can be purchased in the showroom or via info@nomadno.com
The show is up from 20 January – 29 February 2024 and open for viewings on Saturdays from 11am-5pm, or by appointment.
I’m pleased to announce that a carpet of my collection is part of the exhibition “Perfectly Imperfect” at the Gewerbemuseum Winterthur https://www.gewerbemuseum.ch/en If you happen to live in Switzerland, I strongly recommend to visit the exhibition, which is on display from F24.11.23 to 12.05.24
“Perfectly Imperfect” examines the pursuit of a standard of quality that cannot be attained, or is deliberately subverted. It looks at design failures, defective items, the patina of the impermanent and the art of repair, and challenges the current pressure to standardize everything. It gauges the tension between perfection and deficiency, and accepts the special qualities of the flawed, the value of the unfinished and fragmentary – perfectly imperfect, perfectly flawed!
A strong earthquake shook Morocco on September 8, 2023. Fortunately, all the people I know did not suffer any dramatic loss or damage from the earthquake. However, I am concerned and saddened by what happened in the villages near Marrakech and in other parts of the country. Some of the people were hit very hard. Right now, it is a matter of rescuing the people who can still be rescued, providing medical aid, water, food and shelter. Many people have lost everything and I want to help in any way I can.
Please consider purchasing one of the Zindekhs pictured above. They are affordable and brighten our everyday lives with their fun compositions made from industrial yarn or recycled textile scraps hooked onto a plastic bag. I will be donating all proceeds to earthquake relief efforts in Morocco. Every contribution counts. Thank you!
✳︎ NEW DATE ✳︎
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2022, 17:00 – 18:00
Lecture by Thomas Reitmaier with images by Abdellah Azizi at
NOMADNO SALON, Seestrasse 102, 5th floor, 8707 Uetikon am See
PLEASE RSVP to confirm your attendance by no later than October 26 → info@nomadno.com
Dr. Thomas Reitmaier, an Austrian archaeologist, has been researching the everyday life of a nomadic family in Morocco since 2017. His project documents the life of one of the last “traditionally” living nomadic families of the Ait Atta tribe. The origins of these nomads can be traced back to the 15th/16th century, when they expanded northwards from the desert-like mountain range of Jbel Saghro into the High Atlas. Reitmaier accompanied Brahim and Touda with their five growing children, the family is one of the last representatives of the Ait Atta nomads, who continue to travel all year round with their two hundred sheep and goats, pack animals and all possessions. The scientific study focused on the 150 km long route between the winter camp and summer pastures, the storage and feeding places and the various activities and interrelationships of the nomads in the changing mountain landscapes. He was accompanied by the Moroccan photographer and filmmaker Abdellah Azizi, who documented the journey with stunning images.
The image above is from the publication “Nomaden auf Zeit – Bilder einer Familie aus Marokko” / “Nomades en Transit – Photos d’une famille marocaine” by Abdellah Azizi, Thomas Reitmaier and Sarah Leib, 320 pages, ISBN 978-3-9523160-8-5, Historical and Ethnological Museum St.Gallen, Cantonal Archaeology St.Gallen
I’m pleased to announce that I’m exhibiting at HALI Fair Online 20-30 May 2022. Organized by HALI Magazine, the virtual event is focused exclusively on extraordinary rugs and textiles from around the globe. It promises to be one of the best places to source unique, collectible and decorative pieces this spring. The Fair will be accompanied by virtual Exhibitions and Events, all free to attend without registration. I look forward to welcoming you to my virtual stand!
From January 2022 onwards, I will be renting an additional space on the waterfront with an impressive view over Lake Zurich. The loft is in a different building, but on the same factory site where my showroom is located. This will give me the opportunity to put an idea into practice that had been brewing for a while: hosting a salon. After visiting a Max Burle exhibition at the Jewish Museum in New York, in 2016, it occurred to me to host meetings related to rugs and other correlated themes. While wandering through the exhibition at the time, a table cloth with geometric forms and vibrant colors caught my attention. The object label next to it described that the table cloth had been used in one Burle’s memorable Sunday luncheons. He hosted these lunches at a long table in his home, decorated with floral and fruit arrangements and often covered with a hand-painted table cloth for the occasion. His guests frequently included artists, musicians, writers and members of the Yawalapiti tribe from the Amazonian region of Alto Xingu in Brasil. The idea has never left my mind and the time has come to plunge into my own version of it. The NOMADNO SALON will be a process-oriented experiment, allowing it to grow into an own form over time. My aim is to bring people together prioritizing exhibitions, gatherings and conversation. The first event is already planed in February 2022. A private show and tell for fourteen guests about Moroccan rugs with delicious food prepared by photographer Nadja Athanassiou. If you would like to attend to a similar event or have an idea for a salon on a specific topic, do get in touch. The loft can also be rented for private events.