Galleria illy - Beijing 2nd

Trieste, October 2012 – The Spanish chef Josean Alija and the Israeli designer  Ron Arad are to enter the group of guests who will participate to Galleria illy, scheduled in Beijing from October 27 to December 2, inside Parkview Green FangCaoDi. They will join the Chinese artist Liu Wei and the photographer  Sebastião Salgado, already announced in the past weeks, in a rich calendar of events and meetings open to the public, with international representatives of the art, culture, design, wine and food worlds.

Besides Liu Wei, other Chinese artist Lin Tianmiao will participate to Galleria illy, as well as Lü Peng, one of the main curator and expert on Chinese contemporary art  – thanks to the collaboration with Charta, a long-time partner of illycaffè – and some students of CAFA (China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing), who will perform around a number of giant illy cups. On this occasion, the new issue of “illywords” will be presented: the magazine through which the company keeps a constant dialogue with the worlds of art and culture will be titled “Go East!” and will present  the Prized works from CAFA Graduate Show this year.

The world of wine and food has a wide space in the program of the events, with the renowned chefs  Josean Alija and Pino Cuttaia, the organization of courses by Università del caffè of Trieste, tastings of wines and foods that represent at their best the excellence of the Italian production. This is the case, for example, of the wines produced by Mastrojanni – the wineries that joined the illy Group in 2008 – and will be presented in a tasting event led by Riccardo Illy, the President of the Holding.

As usual, Galleria illy will be an important event to meet all those people and partners with whom illycaffè has been working for years: the above mentioned Charta, publisher of many artists linked to the company of Trieste; Moroso, that has worked in order to have Ron Arad attend, one of the main designers of the Italian company and member of the “Moroso Award for Contemporary Art” 2012 jury.

All the program details and updates will be on www.illy.com

Galleria illy Beijing
Opening: October 26th, 2012
Opening hours: October 27th - December 2nd, 2012 - from 10 a.m to 10 p.m.
Address: Parkview Green FangCaoDi, No.9, DongDaQiao Rd., Chaoyang Dist., Beijing, China

The Chandelier

The symbol of Galleria illy will be the Chandelier: it will display in a suspended helix the history of the illy Art Collection cups, the well known and clearest expression of the close link existing between illy and art. Taking into account the place where it is to be set, the Chandelier of Galleria illy Beijing will be manufactured in giant sizes. It will weigh 2 tons, it will have a diameter of 8 meters, it will be  5,2 meter tall and it will be shaped  as a helix of 5 rims. It will be made of  66 coffee cups chosen among over 300 designed so far in twenty years  by the most outstanding representatives of contemporary art. Each cup will weigh 6 kilograms, will be 62 cm wide, will have a base of 32 cm of diameter and will be 50,5 cm tall. Forty five days will be required to manufacture it, so to be suspended at the center of the Parkview Green grand hall.

Galleria illy

Galleria illy is a temporary space, the expression of philosophy and values of illy, the Italian brand of high quality coffee. It is a culture salon where some of the leading protagonists at international level in the world of arts, literature, science, design, wine and food get together. Every day, with Università del caffè, the culture of coffee has the role of main actor, with classes and tastings.

Galleria illy is hosted every time by a different city, at the forefront of creativity. In Beijing, hearth of the millenary Chinese culture and now a global and cosmopolitan metropolis, illy found the same cultural crossover and artistic contaminations which are part of its DNA.  

After New York, Milan, Trieste, Istanbul, Berlin and London, Gallery illy is to open October 26th, 2012 in Beijing, in China, inside Parkview Green FangCaoDi, a compound recently built in the Central Business District of the city.

Based in Trieste, Italy, illycaffé produces and markets a unique blend of espresso coffee under a single brand leader in quality. Over 6 million cups of illy espresso coffee are enjoyed every day. illy is sold in over 140 countries around the world and is available in more than 100,000 of the best restaurants and coffee bars. espressamente illy, the chain of franchised Italian-style coffee bars is now present in 30 countries and comprises more than 230 outlets. With the aim of spreading the coffee culture, illy has founded the Università del caffè, the centre of excellence offering theoretical and practical training on every aspect of coffee for coffee growers, coffee shops staff and enthusiasts. On a global level illycaffè employs about 800 people and has a consolidated turnover of €342 million. (2011 results)

About Parkview Green FangCaoDi. Parkview Green FangCaoDi is one of China's greenest buildings and the first in China to be pre-certified LEED® Platinum as an urban mixed-use development.

Everything at Parkview Green FangCaoDi encompasses this fresh approach - from the building's own micro-climate designed to give visitors a breath of fresh air, to unique and original retail concepts that showcase brands in an exciting way, as well as featuring a collection of sculptural masterpieces by Salvador Dali in addition to rotating events and exhibits.

Parkview Green FangCaoDi not only captures the imagination with its sustainable design, but remains always fresh through its constantly evolving collection of experiences for those who live, work or visit this iconic Beijing landmark.

For more information:

Anna Adriani/Christine Pascolo,illycaffè, Ph. +39 040/3890111