2017.12.22 (fri)

Christmas in Milano, 2017

Once a year, Milano transforms into a magical city, with glittering lights and festive Christmas celebrations.

I send you all best wishes for a lovely holiday season with friends and family, and health, happiness and hope for 2018.

Kyoko
Milano, December 20, 2017

Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II

Rinascente to the left, Christmas market at the right

Rinascente

Scala display at Rinascente

Happy hour in the winter

Corso Como : December 10th, first snowfall in Milano

Piazza Gae Aulenti : ice-skating

Piazza Gae Aulenti

Corso Como 10

San Fedele church

Lucia concert by Swedish choir at San Fedele church

San Babila window display

Dolce Gabbana

Via della Spiga

Perfume shop

Florist show window

Holiday greetings from Milano, 2017

2017.12.17 (sun)

Christmas at Natsuko Toyofuku Shop, Milano

Here are photos of some of the wonderful hand-made creations that are available at Natsuko Toyofuku Shop in Corso Como, Milano.

Christmas Opening TImes : December 5~24
Monday to Saturday from 10:30 ~ 19:30
Sunday from 11:00 to 19:00

Natsuko Toyofuku Shop
Corso Como, 9
20154 Milano
Tel. +39 02 36575905

Kyoko
Milano, December 18, 2017

Jewelry : NATSUKO TOYOFUKU

African sculpture and jewelry by NATSUKO TOYOFUKU

Bags made of furoshiki in taffeta and cotton SHIMA-SHIMA : concept by ZERO_ESPERIMENTI MANUALI

Paper creations : Artist CATERINA CREPAX, MILANO

Crochet necklace in coral motif : Necklace ZERO_ESPERIMENTI MANUALI, MILANO
Wire hanger : FURIO AGIMAN, MILANO

Silk cords : JAMALAJA, MILANO
Bags in Japanese cotton : ZERO_ESPERIMENTI MANUALI, MAILANO

Silk peppers: JAMBALAJA, MILANO

Taffeta bags : ZERO_ESPERIMENTI MANUALI, MILANO
Chicken doorstops : BARBARA DAUMILLER PER PROGETTO COCCODE’, VERONA

Scarves : SCOUBIDOU
Hand painted bags : ZERO_ESPERIMENTI MANUALI, MILANO

Apparel in merino wool : TORNOSUBITO, MILANO
Scarf and necklace : ZERO_ESPERIMENTI MANUALI, MILANO

Hand painted silk scarves : SILVIA GIORGETTI, MILANO

Ceramics : CATERINA VON WEISS, MILANO

2017.12.07 (thu)

Visit to Atelier Natsuko Toyofuku, Milano

In the Porta Garibaldi area, known for modern architecture and fashion, there are many typical Milanese buildings of the 19~20th century. Within the quiet courtyard of one such building on Corso Como 9 is the atelier of jewellery designer and artist, Natsuko Toyofuku.

Her works are displayed elegantly in the atelier & shop space, that is graced with high-ceilings and a gentle light that filters in through the windows.

Natsuko Toyofuku’s jewelry and sculptures are an homage to the harmony of Japanese aesthetics and Italian freedom of expression. The combination of bronze, with the strong colours of enamel and delicate colours of semi-precious stones, reflect the warmth of natural materials.

Her jewelry pieces that are displayed within the space which is much like an art gallery, seem to be sculptures on a small-scale…..

site: http://www.natsukotoyofuku.com/eng/home/

Atelier Natsuko Toyofuku
Corso Como, 9
20154 Milano
Tel. +39 02 36575905

open Mon ~ Sat: 10:30 ~ 19:30
email: shop@natsukotoyofuku.com

Kyoko
Milano, December 1, 2017

2017.11.28 (tue)

Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milano, November 2017

Pirelli HangarBicocca, at 15,000 square meters, is one of the largest exhibition spaces in Europe. The foundation was established in 2004, and is dedicated to promoting contemporary art. In addition to a permanent work, The Seven Heavenly Palaces, by Anselm Kiefer, it also exhibits solo works by Italian and international artists.

In November, there was an exhibition of neon works by Lucio Fontana, and an interactive exhibition named “Take Me (I’m Yours)”, in which viewers are free to interact with the installations, by touching, adding, removing, and changing the exhibited works.

HangarBicocca is located away from the centre of Milano, but can be reached easily by public transport. There is a cozy cafe, as well as a space for children’s programs, concerts and performances, and a book shop. HangarBicocca is a non-profit foundation and the admission to the building and exhibitions is gratis.

site:

http://www.hangarbicocca.org/en/

Lucio Fontana ~ until Feb 25, 2018

http://www.hangarbicocca.org/en/exhibition/lucio-fontana-environments/

“Take Me (I’m Yours)” ~ until Jan 14, 2018

http://www.hangarbicocca.org/en/exhibition/take-me-im-yours/

Pirelli HangarBicocca
Via Chiese 2
20126 Milano
tel: 02 6611 1573

Monday to Wednesday: closed
Thursday to Sunday: 10am–10pm

Kyoko
Milano, November 28, 2017

OSGEMEOS

The Seven Heavenly Palaces, by Anselm Kiefer

Lucio Fontana

“Take Me (I’m Yours)”

2017.11.17 (fri)

Event at “VIALEdeiMILLE”, Milano : November 15, 2017

On November 15th, there was a festive event at “VIALE dei MILLE”, an association which SHIMA-SHIMA had worked with in the past. This group helps inmates in Milano-area prisons to work whilst in prison, and receive training for a better future when they return to society. Everything sold in this showroom is made in local prisons.

SHIMA-SHIMA had donated fabrics to the Borseggi hand-bag brand, to be used in a project organised by Betty Ponzone and Federica Della Casa. By the way, the red divan is made of SHIMA-SHIMA fabric, from a project with IOU, a Swedish organization.

In the photos, you can see not only the Borseggi brand, but other brands and products that were produced for the holiday season. There is also a bakery, located within the showroom, which provides freshly-baked bread from Monday to Saturday. There are chocolates, wines and panettone, as well as other gift items.

The event was a huge success, with many visitors. It was very heartening to see that the city of Milano provides such strong support at “VIALE dei MILLE”.

Showroom:
Corsorzio VIAdeiMILLE MILANO
Viale dei Mille 1, 20129 Milano
tel: 02-36576080

Kyoko
Milano, November 17, 2017

Center: Borseggi project leader Betty Ponzone

SHIMA-SHIMA divan, project of IOU Sweden

SHIMA-SHIMA pochette

2017.11.15 (wed)

Fondazione Prada in Milano : Autumn 2017

It was terribly hot this summer, but autumn is finally here, with many wonderful exhibitions to see.

Milano has several spaces that are not located in the centre of town, which exhibit contemporary art and culture.
In 2015, Fondazione Prada opened a space in the southern part of Milano, that was once an industrial area.

Fondazione Prada’s surface area is 19,000 m2, with 11,000 m2 of exhibition space. The original four buildings were used by a distillery dating back to 1910′s. There are 3 new buildings on the property, one beautiful building is covered in 24 carat gold foil.

There is a bar which depicts a typical Milanese bar from the past, as well as a space for children.

When I visited, there was a very interesting exhibition about Italian television from the 70′s.

YouTube (Italian language only)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjFW37iUMow

Fondazione Prada
Address: Largo Isarco 2, 20139 Milano
Phone number: 02 5666 2611

Kyoko
Milano, November 15, 2017

2017.08.09 (wed)

Summer in Cortina : July 2017

Mere words are totally inadequate to describe the beauty of Cortina, a small town located in Northern Italy, surrounded by the Dolomites Alps. The majestic mountains which are part of a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. In the winter it is a famous resort for skiing. I visited Cortina last month with my family.

Although there are only about 6000 permanent residents in the small town, there are many charming shops and restaurants. Whilst summer 2017 in Italy has been extremely hot with temperatures nearing 40 degrees, our week in Cortina was cool and refreshing. I look forward to returning next year, as well !

I took two Prosecco Bags from Milano, to carry books, camera, snacks, etc. while hiking in the Dolomites.

I hope you enjoy the photos I had taken during my wonderful journey.

Kyoko
Milano, August 7, 2017

map of the Cortina area

elevation of Cortina, 1226.29 meters above sea level

home, Ca’ Gioiosa

“Saturnine” peaches in late afternoon sun

wells with fresh water

photo credit: Noriko Tsuchihashi

restaurant Tondi at Faloria, 2120 m

berry tart and wine

berry liquor in the sun

typical breads of the area

cliff-climbers

Cinque Torri, 2,361 m

Cinque Torri

there were many dog-hikers…

there were many hiking nuns, as well

Tre Cime, 2,999 m

small mountain church at Tre Cime

refuge hut at Tre Cime

Lake Misurina in the distance

back in Cortina town-center

brightly colored flowers

hotel

shop selling rustic items

2017.06.07 (wed)

FuoriSalone : Milan Design Week April 4 ~ 9 No.2

It seems that FuoriSalone 2017 was by far the busiest in recent years. The weather was absolutely glorious. There were long queues to enter popular events, but people were extremely patient.

Too many wonderful things and to see, and not enough time …

______________________

Kyoko
Milano, June 6, 2017