KARACHI: Italian Consul General in Karachi Gianluca Rubagotti inaugurated ‘the great game of Italian industry’ in Karachi on Monday amid exclusive media invitees, mall representatives and visitors of LuckyOne Mall. The ribbon cutting ceremony held at the entrance of the atrium, was conducted by the consul general in accompaniment with Humaira Asghar Ali, who was resplendent in an art-piece bridal gown designed by famous designer Cristina Senter, from Rovereto, Italy.
After cutting the ribbon, the entourage took a round of the atrium where the exhibition was on display. This was followed by a speech by the consul general, explaining the concept behind the exhibition. LuckyOne Mall Marketing GM Danesh Dubash, expressing his appreciation for the exhibition, said that “The exhibition is a great way to familiarise the world with Italian products and to expertly merge art, music and culture.”
It was basically an exhibition of panel installations lining the mall’s atrium, the panels explained and depicted the various contributions of Italian creativity and design to the development of objects which have now become common in daily life not just in Italy, but around the globe. Examples of objects highlighted are the harmonica, coffee makers, watches, cars, shoes and Vespa. It is a unique opportunity to discover the role that Italy has played in developing industrial products in the past 150 years and more. It may be noted that this exhibition has been displayed in a number of countries before arriving in Pakistan.
It may also be noted that the bridal dress worn by Asghar Ali, was designed according to the fashion of the 19th century, the time when Italy was fighting to reunite the country. It was painted on the occasion of Italy’s national day in a live performance by Karachi artist SM Raza, using only the red and green colours, which together with the white of the cloth make the three colours of the Italian flag. The portraits of Giuseppe Verdi, Italian musician and opera composer, and Dante Alighieri, the renowned Italian poet, were painted on the top of the gown. On the rest of the dress were excerpts from various works by these two great men of culture. The gown represents a tribute to art and culture in all its forms. Also on display were three other creations by designer Cristina Sentery, representing the colours of the Italian flag, which were draped on mannequins.
A vote of thanks presented by LuckyOne Mall Executive Director Zahid Nayeem brought the official opening to a close. The exhibition, however, will remain open to the public until July 3.
