DUBAI DESIGN WEEK
AND DUBAI ART WEEK 2024

An artistic exploration of boundaries and exclusion,

delving into the intricate human experience of displacement,

otherness, and societal rejection.

Under the auspices of the Italian Cultural Institute of Abu Dhabi



Dissuader, Alserkal Gallery, Dubai
photo by Bruna Rotunno, © Franco Perrotti


On Wednesday, November 6, 2024, in Dubai as part of Dubai Design Week (November 6-9), and continuing during Dubai Art Week (November 17-24), opened Franco Perrotti’s exhibition, DISSUADER: ART AND DESIGN, held at Alserkal Avenue, Dubai’s creative hub and leading arts district.
 
Born in Abruzzo in 1953, Franco Perrotti trained in Milan, where he began his career at Tecno spa. Over time, he developed his studio, working on design and interior design projects for national and international brands, while always staying closely connected to the art world. In recent years, he has dedicated himself to artistic installations, sculpting, and experimenting with the use of color on unconventional surfaces. In 2019, his work “DISSUADER” was born—a metaphor embodied in a gigantic, a metaphor embodied in a gigantic, allegorical pigeon made of stainless steel built on a birch wooden template and steel nails. This massive, highly symbolic piece represents the complex relationships between humans, as well as the interaction between humans and the natural environment. By crafting this object, Perrotti merged the principles of design with the expression of an artwork.
 
DISSUADER is the title of the exhibition curated by Baronessa Factory (a creative hub composed of Mario Mariano, Franca Pasero, Ernani Paterra, Franco Perrotti and Bruna Rotunno), organized by Franca Pasero, and supported by the Italian Cultural Institute of Abu Dhabi. The exhibition is open and is hosted at Alserkal Avenue, once an industrial area in Dubai, now one of the city’s most dynamic spaces for art, design, performance arts, and culture.


Dissuader, Alserkal Gallery, Dubai
photo by Bruna Rotunno, © Franco Perrotti

The Exhibition
The installations represent the artistic and creative process of Franco Perrotti, mixing and organizing the themes and languages of his “Design Making” with the content and representations of his Art. The exhibition includes 25 pieces across two floors. On the ground floor, the Large Dissuaders and reinterpretations of details in different sizes is on display, made with a variety of materials. The walls feature video projections created by photographers and filmmakers Bruna Rotunno, Ernani Paterra, and Enrico Di Nenno, interpreting the creative act behind Perrotti’s work.
 
In homage to Design Week, the exhibition also features some “design references,” such as a collection of sofas designed by Franco Perrotti for the occasion, offering visitors a space to reflect on the artistic and poetic meaning behind the works on display.




Dissuader, Alserkal Gallery, Dubai
photo by Bruna Rotunno, © Franco Perrotti



Dissuader, Alserkal Gallery, Dubai
photo by Bruna Rotunno, © Franco Perrotti



Dissuader, Alserkal Gallery, Dubai
photo by Bruna Rotunno, © Franco Perrotti



“DISSUADER is a thought, a reflection, a metaphor.
I would love for it to be a scream.
As time goes by, the world becomes more saturated with fences,
obstacles, walls, guards, and patrol boats.
And yet, we passed through Woodstock, and the dream was something else”.

Franco Perrotti


FRANCO PERROTTI
Educated in the mid-1970s, Perrotti first studied in Pescara and then in Milan, where he attended courses by Attilio Marcolli and Bruno Munari at the Scuola Politecnica di Design, immersing himself in the vibrant world of international design. He then began his collaboration with the Centro Progetti of Tecno Spa (1976-1986), a leading company in creating interior furnishings for work environments and collective spaces.
Perrotti was responsible for Product Design and Interior Design, designing catalog products, layouts for renovations, and showroom installations in Italy and abroad. He also developed scenographic concepts for trade fairs and industry events. In 1986, he embarked on his career as an independent designer and founded the Perrotti Dissociati Design studio, which is still active and engaged in Industrial and Interior Design projects, as well as architectural interventions. This marked the beginning of his collaborations with numerous prestigious companies.
From 1989 to 1997, as Art Director, he collaborated with Faram Spa, a leading company in office solutions design, where he managed product design, communication, and installations. He also created a new line of home furnishings and developed the new graphic design for the Airon Metalarredo catalog, a manufacturer of home and office furnishing accessories. During this period, he also designed auditorium chairs and armchairs for the Poltrona Frau brand.
In 1997, he left Milan to return to Abruzzo, where, along with Tanino Liberatore and the young architect Mario Mariano, he founded Rude Bravo Design Workshop, a laboratory for ideas, projects, products, and artifacts. Rude Bravo debuted the following year at the Fuori Salone in Milan with the exhibition “I 7 Peccati Capitali” set up at Spazio Consolo. Together with Tanino Liberatore, Perrotti created notable works such as “L’Homme au turban rouge et son cousin” in 2007, a two-door lamp inspired by Jan van Eyck’s painting.

Photo by Bruna Rotunno © Franco Perrotti



As a publisher and designer, Perrotti curates products designed for limited editions and often creates unique pieces. For a decade, Rude Bravo has been a distinctive presence in the Italian design landscape with innovative and unconventional proposals.
With the studio “Officine d’Essai,” an architecture, art, and interior design workshop founded in Pescara in 2012, the Rude Bravo Design Workshop project continues and expands, driven by curiosity, experimentation, and the consolidation of a design language with significant projects focused on studying and creating interior designs for private residences and showrooms, both in Italy and abroad.
Among his notable institutional collaborations are those with the Archaeological Museum “La Civitella” in Chieti, the MAR museum in Positano-Salerno, and the FRIMACT museum in Frigento-Avellino for museum installations, as well as collaborations with the Polytechnic School of Design in Milan, the Faculty of Architecture in Pescara, and ISIA Pescara Design, where he has taught lessons and seminars.


Dissuader, Noto, Italy, 2019 © Franco Perrotti


ALSERKAL AVENUE: A VIBRANT CULTURAL DISTRICT
Founded in 2008, Alserkal Avenue is a socially responsible artistic and cultural enterprise based in Dubai, committed to supporting creativity and contemporary research through initiatives and local events. With over 500,000 square meters, Alserkal Avenue is home to a community of over 70 contemporary art galleries, performing arts organizations, designers, and entrepreneurial ventures, making it a leading destination for contemporary art and creative communities in the region.

ALSERKAL AVENUE GALLERY



Alserkal Gallery© Baronessa Factory



Alserkal Gallery © courtesy of Alserkal Gallery


PRESS
Press office Europe
Studio Battage + My Com Factory, Milano

Margherita Baleni
+39 347 4452374 
margherita.baleni@battage.net

Luana Solla
+39 334 336 9695
luana.solla@mycomfactory.com