© MICHAEL ARMITAGE
© MICHAEL ARMITAGE DESIGN IN FOCUS The crossover between art and design continues with a handful of exhibitions, led by the ongoing Gio Ponti: Loving Architecture (until 13 April; maxxi.art), a retrospective at MAXXI in Rome focused on the multifarious creations of Italy’s preeminent 20th-century designer and architect. In Mexico City, at the Jumex Museum, Lina Bo Bardi: Habitat (until 10 May; fundacionjumex.org) examines another multidisciplinary mid-century career – Bo Bardi was an Italo-Brazilian architect, designer, curator and editor – before the show moves to the MCA in Chicago in June. Oriented emphatically in the present, Heatherwick Studio: Building Soulfulness (8 April – 14 June; mori. art.museum) puts Englishman Thomas Heatherwick centre stage, from his double-decker buses that have come to symbolise modern London to his Vessel (2019), the grand staircase Pathos and the Twilight of the Idle (2019), by Michael Armitage installation at the heart of the Hudson Yards development in Manhattan. Conrad Shawcross is a second youthful Brit with a major solo show this year, though his often mechanical creations are decidedly on the functionless side, no matter how practical they may look: Escalations (until 19 June; chateau-la-coste.com) is spread across three sites in the beautiful Chateau La Coste grounds in Provence, and a monumental sculpture, Schism, will be installed this spring, a permanent memento of the extraordinary show. Last but not least, Bags: Inside Out (25 April – 3 Jan; vam.ac.uk) presents a history of our most essential accessory, exploring both its looks and uses in more than 300 objects ranging from the iconic Birkin bag to early Louis Vuitton trunks and cuttingedge contemporary creations by Marc Jacobs, Mulberry and more. 49 DEPARTURES
Playful and progressive, these made-for-her looks are redefining the power suit for a new decade. Photographs by Diego Merino Styled by Elisa Vallata 50 DEPARTURES Suit Yourself
