In his solo exhibition in Milan, titled Then, Oh Then, Oh Then, Dominic Michel delves into the themes of the adaptation and the reinterpretation of urban spaces.

With his works he explores the aesthetic and symbolic aspects of industrial machinery, factories, and urban landscapes, researching the traces of these social, economic, and spatial changes in the topographies that surround us. In this sense, the Centro Svizzero, opened in 1952 by the Swiss architect Armin Meili, which today houses the exhibition spaces of Istituto Svizzero, is the ideal place to present Dominic Michel’s new works developed specifically for the exhibition.

With his use of different materials and techniques the artist often mimics the mechanical nature of industrial processes, offering a multifaceted exploration of this transformative force.

In the exhibition space, exceeding six meters in height, he presents the installation Charm, chains of spherical, translucent plastic objects illuminated by fairy lights, where he employs an industrial process called thermoforming, commonly used for mass-producing PVC items, such as yogurt pots. In his silkscreen prints titled Locomotive, Dominic Michel deconstructs and reassembles images of locomotives into layers, resulting in abstract and symbolic interpretations. Even the exhibition’s title, borrowed from a poem by Scottish filmmaker and author Margaret Tait, Then, Oh Then, Oh Then, evokes a sense of intermittence, repetition, or the rhythmic breath of a locomotive.

Dominic Michel’s work blends traditional materials with digital elements, generating a dynamic interplay between the tangible and the virtual, inviting the viewers to contemplate the nuances of modern and contemporary consumer culture and its imprints on urban spaces.

Curated by Gioia Dal Molin.

Download the curatorial text and floorplan here. 

The exhibition finissage, Echo Shelves, will take place on Saturday 04.11.2023, with sound and live sets in collaboration with Fromheretillnow. Furthermore, on the day preceding the finissage (Friday, 03.11.2023) the curator Gioia Dal Molin will provide guided tours of the exhibition from 16:30 to 18:00.

Istituto Svizzero
Via del Vecchio Politecnico 3, Milan
Free entrance

Opening hours:
Wednesday/Friday: 11:00-17:00
Thursday: 11:00-20:00
Saturday: 14:00-18:00

The exhibition will be closed on Wednesday 01.11.2023.