The exhibition “PINK. Women in Italian graphic design. From the origins to the present day” is currently on view at Italy House, which hosts both the Italian Cultural Institute and the Consulate General of Italy in Edinburgh. The show aims to highlight the crucial contribution made by women to the evolution and development of graphic design and Italian visual culture, and, more broadly, to reclaim the legacy of outstanding women artists who have helped create some of the most iconic images in the collective imagination. Curated by Francesco E. Guida, PINK features over forty Italian women designers, past and present, including several winners and finalists of the five editions of AWDA – the AIAP Women in Design Award, the international prize launched in 2012 by AIAP, the Italian Association for Visual Communication Design.
Trailblazing figures such as Anita Klinz (Italy’s first art director), Jeanne Michot Grignani, Brunetta Mateldi Moretti, Lora Lamm, Claudia Morgagni, Simonetta Ferrante and Adelaide Acerbi contributed to Italy’s post-war economic boom and to the global success of the “Made in Italy” brand. The 1970s and 1980s were characterised by political engagement and socially oriented design, featuring artists such as Elisabetta Ognibene, Elena Green, Patrizia Pataccini and Michela Papadia. The 1990s and 2000s, marked by the digital revolution and new frontiers in communication, saw the emergence of designers including Ginette Caron, Cristina Chiappini, Claude Marzotto and Silvana Amato – the first Italian woman to become a member of AGI (Alliance Graphique Internationale), the international organisation bringing together the world’s most influential graphic designers – as well as Laura Viale, known for her Millelire covers for Stampa Alternativa.
The works on display and reproduced in PINK come from the collections held by AIAP CDPG, the AIAP Documentation Centre on Graphic Design, or have been provided directly by the designers themselves. AIAP CDPG is, in fact, the only centre in Italy specifically devoted to the collection, preservation, study and promotion of materials relating to graphic design.
