Andrea Anastasio

Andrea Anastasio is an italian designer influenced by India where he worked. he designed for the glass industry. Andrea Anastasio is a cosmopolitan transcultural soul and artist, part designer, art philosopher , part writer. Born in Rome, Anastasio traveled to India at age18 where he discovered another world ? a non Euro-centric world. Now 25 years later, 11 years of which he has spent in India, he has developed a deep and layered knowledge of art, religious studies, music, theater and philosophy. Anastasio obtained a degree in philosophy from the University of Venice and it was his interest in philosophy and history that opened the doors to the Memphis Group.

This team of Italian designers and architects created highly influential products in the 1980's by challenging the idea that products had to follow conventional shapes, colors, textures and patterns. More recently Anastasio has been creating objects for domestic spaces utilizing materials originally thought for high tech industrial purposes or found on construction sites as well as rich textiles and garments. Andrea Anastasio came to the Gardner Museum under two roles: one as Artist-in-Residence, and one as exhibition designer and collaborator for the Chairs exhibition (2005).