‘No Flags,’ a Furniture Exhibit in New York, Invites Introspection

This spring, Verso filled its New York showroom with an array of common objects—cabinets, a desk, a console—that were far from ordinary. Their wavy edges, undulating doors, and candy colors of high-gloss lacquered MDF had a funhouse vibe that belied a serious intent: to start a conversation about the cultural implications of design. The site-specific exhibition, “No Flags,” also the collection name, was the brainchild of Enrica Cavarzan and Marco Zavagno, founders of Venetian studio Zaven. “We conceived it as a landscape of flags in the wind,” Cavarzan recalls. Usually symbols of nationalist identity, flags are here subverted to represent openness and possibility. “Design can be a tool to generate a critical discourse around notions of nation, identity, culture, and authenticity,” she adds. Encompassing furniture, rugs, and ceramic vases, the series is a positive vision of a new world. Through Verso.