In the life that was Gaetano Pesce.

We have witnessed, through his art, a legacy of creativity that goes far beyond the mere surface-of-things. Instead, Pesce fashioned work that exuded radicalness from the very core.

He upheld unrestrained design custom.

The award-winning Italian architect and designer expresses in his work a rare, wild sensitivity that permitted boundless creativity. A poised originality, his colourful surrealist figures are recognised as we would the brush strokes of Van Gogh.

A ceaseless and brave form.

Pesces work is resilient, assertive and fearless.

Innately sculptural shapes, ornate in pattern, bold in color. They speak on the amalgam art and design intersection that has grown in prevalence through our contemporary collective.

I am reminded on the beautiful words of Doris Ostrom, “I am looking for some new understanding to add to the definition of support and storage, recline and surface. I approach the problem through the abstraction of space. I desire my furniture to depict storage as an adjective as well as a noun. I see an object which is for the safekeeping of goods take on its meaning as the depository of hopes, loves, sorrows. It can be expanded to receive more of our needs than just the handler of materials.”

I retell these words because Pesce had once said, “I’d like to see more human feeling, less being neutral. I would like to see the human touch, more personal stories in design, architecture and objects. I think that’s very important.”

There is a testimony in these words, which is that many of us continue longing for our interior space to reflect our inner-most being, so that we experience a life authentic to our truth.

The work of Pesce leads with a humble sensibility. Crafting from his inner world was a courageous act, one that did not hide from question and invited reflective response.

This inner world is a place, often only felt in fullness by the creator. However, Pesce retained the attention of observers through his power in storytelling. Often through debate and suggestion of unpopular opinion.

Gaetano Pesce, was a forerunner in the Italian Radical Design Group of the 1960s. The designers within this Italian Radical Design movement began to publish anti-design declarations and ascertained themselves to be pioneers of their time.

They grew in voice, loud and unsystematic. Design studios were established in order to continue creating mischievous objects with poised visual concoctions that engaged in socio-political narrative.

The theme was rebellion; the rebel of what was known, what was custom, what was, only, accepted. They assigned their manifesto in opposition to the rationalism and functionalism found in 20th-century modernism. The exhibition Italy: The New Domestic Landscape, which was curated by Cindi Strauss at the The Museum of Fine Arts Houston had said “There is everything from deep meaning to humour, irony and problem-solving in these works. Across the board, the pieces are very thoughtful in their concept of design, their questioning of functionality, their challenging of viewer to make sense of them.”

In contrast to the works shown in Italy: The New Domestic Landscape, modernist design accentuated the sensibleness of the product and was superficially reflective of the every human.

The radicals challenged that design could ever be a reflection of the every human because individuals are infinitely divergent.

We all characteristically think and perform differently. Therefore, The Italian Radical Design Group presented to us the challenger of related, custom product. They instead, initiated the induction of feeling.

Gaetano Pesce thrusted design into new direction. It is through a spirited, resilient practise that he broke barriers of constraint to defy the liminality of creation.