Maddalena Vantaggi was born in Gubbio (Perugia - Italy) in 1981.
In 2001 she moves in Florence to study Product Design (Faculty of Architetcture).
In 2002 she starts to work focusing in sustainable design and and she wins the international competition Green Home; the same year she's invited for the first time to exhibit at the Salone del Mobile in Milan with "Tra cielo e terra" project.
n 2005 she is selected in the first Italian-Brasil design and cooperation project Design Possivel and she works in San Paolo (Brazil) in the favelas with local craftmen; her products created in Sao Paulo are selected for the Fuorisalone of Milan for two years (2006-2007) and exhibited at the OCA in Sao Paulo (Brazil). In 2006 she wins Il design Italiano Cresce competition with "Cometrò", produced in a limited edition by Emmelunga.
In 2007 she moves in Venice to study Visual Arts (IUAV). Here she starts to work in videoart and she discovers the public art. Here she founds the artistic collective Publink (with Roberta Bruzzechesse and Maria Zanchi), and realizes the project "Rifiuto Con Affetto" winner Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation award (2007-Venice), and exposed, among many events at: Fuorisalone, International Exhibition of Crafts in Florence, Manifesta 7 in Rovereto and at Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven.
In the same year she works as videomaker for Biennale Audiovisual Archives during Venice Biennale
and in 2008 she wins the second prize of Crystalline Video Festival; the same year she is selected by Manuela Pacella for Germinazioni as one of the best videoartist in Umbria;
her videos are selected by Stefania Miscetti and Achille Bonito Oliva.
In 2008 she is selected among European emerging designers in D.A.S./ Afetr Design School.
In 2009 creates "di(af)fetti" pottery line, exhibited at: Design Boom Mart - Stockholm Furniture Fair, Fuorisalone of Milan, Florence Design Week; in the same year she wins the second place of Aldo Ajò Award and was selected among the best designers in the international competition The Awakener. For two consecutive years her projects are selected for DAB Design for Artshop and Bookshop, and exhibited at Macef (Milan), at Maxxi (Rome) and Xenia Gallery in Budapest.
Since 2009 she starts to works in didactics, promoting a conscious design methodology; in addition to holding seminars, workshops and training courses, in 2013 she's teacher of product design at NID - Nuovo Istituto di Design.
In 2012 her "inPasta" pillows are selected by Mobili Lago exhibition in Turin and in 2014 are produced by Formabilio. From 2008 to 2015 she works as product designer for Nuvita and creates the fabric collections "Fruttini" and "RicAmo" exhibited at Kind + Jungend Cologne (2014 - 2015); and "easy food" line and Quadryo baby monitor exhibited at the Hong Kong Baby Fair (2016).
In 2013 she moves in Marrakech to specialize in Local and Sustainable Development (Faculty of Industrial Design Florence - ESAV of Marrakech). Here her product "habbillè le tabourè" is selected as one of the best product of shareDesign.
In 2015 she was selected to be part of the creative team of LAGO Studio, at Mobili Lago;
and she wins the special Mibact DAB - Design For Artshop and Bookshops prize with di(af)fetti.
In 2016 she starts her research on design for territorial marketing based on culturale heritage, focusing on Umbria and craft. In 2017 she starts a collaboration with Associazione per lo sviluppo dell' Appennino Umbro Marchigiano to develop aMANO project; actually she works as content manager for umbriamarche.com project.
In 2018, for the Italian Design Day she was selected as representatives of Italian design.
Since 2019 she's design professor in the first Italian Course of Territorial Brand Design at ABA - Accademia di Belle Arti Pietro Vannucci.
In 2020 she's selected by Labilia as creativity, design and art trainer.
She works in aèdi studio as product designer and videomaker for companies, private clients and public administrations.
\\ Educational background
2018 Master in Tourism and Culture Management, Lumsa, Rome.
2014 Specialization course of Design For Sustainable Development, ESAV, Marrackech.
2008 Master of Visual Arts, IUAV, Venice.
2006 BA degree in Product Design Faculty of Industrial Design, Florence.
2005 Design Possivel project, Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
2003 Erasmus project, Universidad Politecnica, Valencia, Spain.
2000 High-School diploma in Humanities at Liceo Mazzatinti, Gubbio.
\\ Main awards
2017 Aid grant for Master in Tourism and Culture managenent, by Poste Italiane.
2015 MIBACT Patrimonio Culturale prize, by GAI and Ministero dei Beni Culturali, selected.
Lago Studio international workshop by Mobili Lago, Padova, selected.
Bologna Città Bella e Sostenibile prize, by Centro Antartide, Hera and Fondazione del Monte,
honorable mention.
2014 Echogreen, by Fondazione Fabbri, selected.
The Awakeners, Generationawake.eu., selected.
Mission Gift, Formabilio, winner.
2013 Share(D)design, Esav (Marrakech), third place.
2012 Premio Aldo Ajò, Comune di Gubbio, secon place.
2011 Design for Artsop and Bookshop, selected.
2010 D.A.S./ Design Afetr School 2009, selected.
2008 Cristallino Video Festival, second place.
Germinazioni, selected as one of the best young artists in Umbria.
2007 Aid grant 91ma Collettiva, by Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa.
Aid grant Biennale d’arte 2007 Arte e Design, by IUAV.
2006 Il design Italiano Cresce, winner, by Emmelunga.
Pagine Bianche d’autore, selected.
2006 Nortek, by Nortek, special prize.
2004 Casa Toscana Green Home, by Consorzio Casa Toscana, second place.
\\ Selected exhibitions
2017 Milan Design Week
Dynamica, curated by dynamis, Rome.
OutUMBRO, Festival deGusto, curated by ADI, Spoleto.
2016 Hong Kong Exhibition Center, curated by Nuvita, Wanchai (China).
DAB, MAXXI, curated by Mila Bongiovì, Rome.
2015 Biennale d’Arte di Venezia, Padiglione Venezia, curated by Formabilo, Venice.
Kinder und jugend, curated by Nuvita, Cologne.
OUTumbro, Milano ADI Food Design Lab, curated by ADI, Milan.
2014 Salone del Mobile - Stand Mobili Lago, Milan.
Florence Design Week, Florence.
Ecoismi, Isola di Borromeo, curated by Ecoismi, Milano.
2013 ShareDesign, Fondation Dar Bellarj, curated by DIDA and ESAV, Marrakech
Museum of Arte Util, Van Abbemuseum, curated by Tania Bruguera, Eindhoven.
Piazza dell’Artigianato 00, Lago spa, curated by Fondazione March, Villa del Conte, Padua.
DAB5, Museo Enzo Ferrari, curated by Ornella Corradini, Modena.
Fa’ la cosa giusta, Milano Fiera, curated by di Terre di Mezzo Eventi, Milan.
2012 Salone del Mobile di Milano, Showroom Shic, curated by di GarageDesign, Milan.
Ma nessuni mai, Spazio Natta, curated by Gabriele Perretta, Como.
Miart, Fondazione Umanitaria, curated by Ornella Piluso, Milan.
Premiata Officina Trevana, Palazzo Lucarini, curated by Maurizio Coccia.
2011 Useful Art, Nolens Volens 5°, curated by Democracia, Madrid.
Stockholm Forniture Fair -Designboom Mart - , curated by designboom, Stockholm.
Macef, Fieramilano, Area Creazioni Cafè, Milano, curated by Macef e Artex.
ALDO 150 - Appartamento Lago, a cura di Marco Crepaldi e Lago, Turin.
2010 La Follia dell’arte, Villa Rufolo, curated by Achille Bonito Oliva, Ravello.
A better tomorrow, Studio Stefania Misscetti, curated by Stefania Misceti, Rome.
Interiors, Galleria Ugo Ferranti, curated by Manuela Pacella, Rome.
2009 + Life Cycle Design – CO2, Fabbrica del Vapore, Fuorisalonea curated by Best Up, Milan.
Fa’ la cosa giusta, Milano Fiera, curated by di Terre di Mezzo Eventi, Milan.
She Devil, National Museum of Contemporary Art, curated by Stefania Miscetti, Bucharest.
2008 92ma Collettiva Giovani, Belvilacqua La Masa, curated by Angela Vettese, Venice.
Manifesta7 - Social Art Praxis, Ex Manifattura Tabacchi, curated by Adam Budak, Rovereto.
London Biennale, curated by David Medalla, Paris.
scratchvision, Man Museum, curated by David Medalla, Valparaiso (Chile).
2007 Fiera delle qualità italiane, Milano Fiera , curated by EXPOCTS, Milan,
Progetto Biennale d’Arte 2007, Arsenale, curated by ASAC, Venice.
Monza New Media Festival, curated by Sonia Micheletto.
Restart, CZ95, curateb by Pandora e Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei, Venice.
2006 Design Possivel, Brasilartes, Circuito Fuorisalone, Milano, a cura di Ivo Pons.
2005 Design Possivel, IBRIT, Milano, curatec by Ivo Pons and Giuseppe Lotti, Milan.
Design Possivel, OCA, curated by Ivo Pons and Giuseppe Lotti, Milan, Sao Paulo (Brazil).
\\ Main publications in books
"L'anima delle piccole cose", Giuseppe Lotti e Marco Marseglia, didapress, Firenze, 2018.
"Design interculturale", Giuseppe Lotti, didapress, Firenze, 2015.
"Visible – where art leaves its own field and becomes visible as part of something else", curated by Cittadellarte and Fondazione Zegna, Angelika Burtscher and Judith Wielander, Sternberg Press, Berlin-New York, 2010.
"Young Design 09", Tonino Paris, Loredana Di Lucchio, Lorenzo Imbesi, Rdesignpress, 2009.
"Dieci, storie di design a Calenzano tra didattica e professione", curated by Corso di Laurea in Disegno Industriale, Edizioni Tipografia Bertelli, Firenze, 2009.
"Design + - Infinito. Percorsi del progetto critico", Lino Centi, Giuseppe Lotti, Ets, Pisa, 2009.
"Nostra eccellenza", M. Cirri e F. Solibello, Chiarelettere, Milano, 2008.
"Neighbourhood" R. A. Viction, AR allrightreserved, Berlino, 2006.
"Un tavolo a tre gambe", di G. Lotti e E. Legnante, Alinea, Firenze, 2005.
"Insegnare Disegno Industriale. Linguaggio, etica, complessità estetica", Lino Centi, Opere, Firenze, 2005.