Mutina Homage to the Square
Emerging from the dialogue between Mutina and the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation, Homage to the Square is a porcelain surface collection that revisits one of the most iconic investigations of twentieth-century art. The project is rooted in the convergence of two kindred approaches, both grounded in experimentation and in a shared inquiry into the relationships between perception, form, and space.
For Albers, colour never exists in isolation, but is continually shaped by its context. As he observed, “In mathematics, one plus one plus one equals three, but in art it equals three or more”: a reflection on how visual elements, in relation to one another, generate effects that exceed their individual presence.
Within this framework, Mutina translates Albers’s research into the language of ceramic surfaces, conceived as dynamic fields of chromatic interaction. The collection draws upon the tonal range of the Homage to the Square series—hues that shift and resonate according to light, spatial conditions, and compositional rhythm—reinterpreting them in a contemporary material dimension.
The collection is structured around two main patterns, both based on the repetition and variation of the square module. As in Josef Albers’s work, the square is not simply a compositional element, but a framework through which perception is explored. Its apparent neutrality becomes the ground for subtle variations, where colour and material continuously reshape the viewer’s experience. Within Mutina’s design language, the square format acts as a stable yet flexible structure in which form, colour, and material exist in dynamic relation.
Homage to the Square is developed through a palette of seven tones drawn from Josef Albers’s paintings and his exploration of chromatic interaction. Colour is conceived not as a fixed attribute, but as a relational phenomenon, capable of shifting according to proximity, light and context. Each shade has been calibrated to evoke a comparable sense of visual vibration and intensity, reflecting both Albers’s research and Mutina’s distinctive know-how. This result is achieved through extensive experimentation with glazes, pigments and ceramic processes, aimed at generating different tonal values within a single surface while preserving consistency in saturation and definition.
The elements of the collection feature a square 150×150 mm format and are made of unrectified porcelain stoneware, retaining the natural variations of the firing process. The Dash pattern is characterised by a glossy section set within a matte frame, with four smaller glossy squares positioned at its extremities. Dot, by contrast, offers a more essential yet equally sophisticated tactile experience, created through the interaction between the matte surface and the small glossy squares placed at the corners.
The alternation of matte and glossy glazes, combined with the natural irregularities resulting from the manufacturing process, creates an engaging interplay of reflections, making each element a unique and precious piece. The possible configurations invite a personal interpretation of space, offering highly impactful decorative solutions.
Finishes
