On 25 November, the Schlüter-Systems Italia headquarters in Fiorano Modenese hosted an event entitled "Artist's Profile - 40 years of contemporary work" to celebrate 40 years of the artistic output of Adriano Venturelli, and the 40th anniversary of Schlüter®-SCHIENE, the first trim profile for the installation of ceramic, which was designed and launched in 1975 by master tiler Werner Schlüter.
In the beginning, the company manufactured one simple L-shaped profile made of perforated brass to facilitate the installation of ceramic floor and wall tiles... today, Schlüter produces a range of over 8,000 products.
Over the course of the same 40 years, the art of Adriano Venturelli has also found expression in a variety of fields: from the complex discipline of etching, involving the display of his work at the Venice Biennial at the age of just 19, to geometric construction, bold experimentation with materials and more recent explorations of superimposed artistic languages combined with complex chromatic processes encompassing the use of digital technology.
His career can thus be mapped out through his youthful "Acquaforte Aquatinta" to the "I Materici" series, followed by "Full Metal Jacket" and the more recent "Red and Black".
But what has Schlüter-Systems got to do with the contemporary art of Adriano Venturelli?
In the same way that art disrupts the accepted paradigms and invites us to see things in a different light, the research and manufacturing of Schlüter-Systems continues to question the established and almost untouchable ways of doing things in the world of building and tile setting.
As Georg Peter Schlangen, Managing Director of Schlüter-Systems Italia explains: "After 40 years, Adriano still has the energy to seek out and explore new pathways in artistic expression. 40 years since the launch of its first product, Schlüter-Systems still has the same energy and determination to explore new, more up-to-date ways of constructing buildings and laying tiles to the highest professional standards."
The exhibition "Artist's Profile" at the Schlüter-Systems Italia headquarters runs until 22 December, and can be viewed by appointment by calling 0536 914511.