Tata ovvero del Ludico: Tatoy Presenta la Collezione Ludica

Limited edition, ring binder catalog/artist’s book published in conjunction with an exhibition held at Galleria TOT in Padua in 1982, curated by the Italian artist and graphic designer Ennio Chiggio (1938-2020). Both Galleria TOT and its immediate predecessor, Gruppo TATA, were co-founded by Chiggio, whose interests in experimental music, visual poetry, graphic and industrial design prefigured a Dada and Fluxus-influenced program at TOT that explored the intersection of art, design, language, play, and industry with notable projects involving Radical Design groups Ultramobile, Memphis, Alchimia, and Gufram. Tata ovvero del Ludico was an early project with an emphasis on fun and play (ludic) manifested in multicolor collages involving pop culture and art world figures such as Woody Allen, Marilyn Monroe, Marcel Duchamp, and Le Corbusier. Along with Chiggio, contributors to the project and catalog include: Maurizio Baruffi, Roberto de Santi, Paola Casagrande, Francesca Dal Farra, Thomas Garner, Betty Mignanti, Paolo Pavan, and Ernesto Luciano Francalanci. The manufacturer Tatoy srl was lined up to produce the resulting design/art pieces. 4to (9” x 12.25”), cloth-covered boards with a front pocket and ring binder, approximately 36 loose unnumbered pages, color and b/w illustrations throughout, text in Italian. Produced in an edition of about 200 copies.Tipped in on the front pocket is a sticker with the words Contiene il significato (It contains the significance); inside the pocket is a stiff folded page that opens to reveal the word SIGNIFICATO—an inside joke, as it were. Laid in the pocket is also a Tatoy card and a three-page handwritten letter presenting the book to Leila and Massimo Vignelli from the Tatoy representative in New York. A scarce and significant postmodern document with a strong association to boot. Light bumping and rubbing to extremities. Two small damp stains to boards, not affecting interior.