Ilenia

Concorde, the design duo of Nelly Hoffmann and Carlo Prada, explores the boundaries between art and design through the manipulation and conflation of found objects. Their practice merges domestic and non-domestic materials to create eclectic landscapes of uncanny forms, where familiar silhouettes are transformed into something both unexpected and intriguing. With a background in interior design, Hoffmann and Prada possess a deep understanding of spatial conventions, which they intentionally subvert to reshape how environments are experienced.

Their work often juxtaposes clean, functional lines with fluid, ornamental elements, blending readymade parts with those of custom production. This interplay results in striking visual contrasts that challenge the viewer’s perception of utility and traditional aesthetic systems. By referencing the “iconicity of modernist product design,” Concorde’s pieces both honour and disrupt design traditions, fusing irony with precision, and balancing playfulness with a raw, almost savage practicality.

The mixed-use artifacts function as tools for a new kind of artistic engagement — objects that blur the line between absurdism and functionality. Through their dynamic practice, Concorde invites viewers to reconsider the roles objects play within spaces, offering a vision where design becomes both a critique and celebration of form and function.

Launched in 2020, the project was born from a shared desire to reinterpret bourgeois aesthetics with a cultured yet punk approach.

Recent exhibitions include: Emanuela Campoli, Paris (2024); Uppercut, Brussels (2024); Conceptual Fine Arts, Milan (2023); Galerie Barbara Weiss, Berlin (2023).