Itinerary: Touria El Glaoui and Nasir Kassamali

Touria El Glaoui
Founding Director, 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair

“April will be busy, but in the best way possible. At the beginning of the month, I will be in Marrakesh, which will be where the third location of 1:54 will launch in February 2018. Specifically, it will be held at La Mamounia Palace Hotel. The building is a treasure with gardens that are like a sanctuary. One of my favorite places to see art in the city is MACAAL, short for the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden, a young museum with excellent programming. Toward the middle of the month, I will travel to Cape Town to visit Union House, a nonprofit space and community center in the bustling CBD neighborhood. Artists they work with have exhibited at the fair in the past, and I’m keen to see their work in situ. I love The Test Kitchen, a restaurant in the suburb of Woodstock. Headed by the acclaimed British chef Luke Dale-Roberts, it’s an epicurean delight, with wild pairings aplenty. For the rest of the month, I’ll be in New York preparing for the next edition of 1:54, which will be staged in Red Hook, Brooklyn, at Pioneer Works (May 5-7). This little corner of the city is quite enough for me: I’ll grab my morning espresso from Dolce Brooklyn, a midday sandwich from Court Street Grocers, and maybe dinner at Brooklyn Crab. (From Red Hook, the view of downtown Manhattan is an experience in itself).”

Nasir Kassamali
President and Co-Founder, Luminaire

“Just before Salone, my wife and business partner, Nargis, and I are going to spend a few days on Lake Como in Italy at the new, Patricia Urquiola-designed hotel Il Sereno. I turn 70 on March 28 and we will celebrate it, quietly. Then, we’re off to Milan. On Saturday, before the crowds arrive, we want to visit 10 Corso Como. I always spend a lot of time at the bookstore there. We’ll also swing by the luxury clothing boutique DAAD Dantone, which has been my wife’s favorite store for years. As we begin the week, we will stop by B&B Italia, where the brand is unveiling a collection by Piero Lissoni. Paola Lenti consistently has one of the best presentations outside the fair, and I’m looking forward to seeing the rug and furniture designer’s new space in the Zona Tortona neighborhood. My favorite restaurant in the city is Gong, and we’ll go there for dinner at some point. We have also been invited to a panel discussion on the future of design in Italy. It will be at the Fondazione Feltrinelli, a multidisciplinary cultural center in a new building designed by Herzog & de Meuron. Before we fly off to Miami, we will meet with designer Antonio Citterio to finalize details for his lecture and exhibition opening on June 13 at Luminaire Chicago [through June 30].”