Il poeta della luce. Intervista al lighting designer Davide Groppi
Lighting designer Davide Groppi (born 1963 in Piacenza) is the subject of a rare retrospective exhibition titled "Un'ora di luce" (An Hour of Light), on view until May 26 at the Volumnia gallery in Piacenza, curated by Marco Sammicheli. The show, held in a deconsecrated late-16th-century church, traces Groppi's nearly 40-year career through products, prototypes, and personal artistic research, including his iconic lamp "Nulla" (2010), which won the first of his three Compasso d'Oro awards. In an interview, Groppi discusses the exhibition's themes of lightness, cosmic references, and his philosophy of subtraction in design.
This article matters because it profiles a major Italian lighting designer whose work bridges industrial design and contemporary art, highlighting how Groppi's poetic, minimalist approach has earned him critical acclaim (three Compasso d'Oro awards) and a dedicated following. The exhibition, his first anthological show, offers insight into the creative process of a designer who has long avoided the spotlight, and underscores the growing recognition of lighting design as an art form within the broader visual culture landscape.