Large Rectangular Masai Tray in Polished Aluminum by Aldo Cibic for Paola C, 2007

Self-taught architect-designer Aldo Cibic was born in 1955 in Schio, Italy. In 1977, Cibic moved to Milan to work with Ettore Sottsass, and became his partner at Sottsass Associati in 1980. That same year, under the guidance of Sottsass, Cibic was among the designers who cofounded the Memphis Group, the iconic, postmodern collective active until 1987. Its highly experimental approach had a major impact on Cibic throughout his career. In 1989, he established his own office, Cibic & Partners, in Milan. The studio produces industrial design pieces, multimedia communications, exhibition design, and architectural and interior design projects for a roster of Italian and international clients.

In addition to his own design work, Cibic also teaches industrial design at the Domus Academy, the Milan Polytechnic, and the University of Architecture in Venice. He is an honorary professor at Shanghai’s Tongji University. He also takes on a variety of collaborative research projects, and, as of 2000, has served as the art director and designer at Paola C. in Milan.

Cibic’s work has been exhibited internationally for years. Recently, in 2006, architectural historian and professor Kurt W. Forster invited Cibic to participate in the Venice Architecture Biennale, where he presented the project Microrealities within an exhibition called Metamorph. In 2010, he was invited once again to Venice: this time, Cibic’s project Rethinking Happiness was included in the exhibition People Meet in Architecture, directed by Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima.

During the late 1980s, Cibic founded the investigative design project, Cibic Workshop, out of his Milan studio space, aiming to develop new design methods by working collaboratively with businesses, schools, and other research centers on interdisciplinary projects ranging from environment development to product design. Since its inception, Cibic Workshop has grown to include a second Italian location in Vicenza.

Founded in 2000, Paola C. is the result of the creative relationship between founder Paola Coin and in-house artistic director Aldo Cibic. They began producing household accessories and objects over which people can share moments, memories and encounters. The collection started with a line of hand-finished ceramics and a line of hand-blown glass objects. The research has since expanded with the exploration of other materials including wood, metal and silver-plating. The following projects consist of cooperative projects and exhibitions with design schools, which lead to a lot of lucky encounters, including one with Bijoy Jain which led to a Woodwork exhibition in 2012. In 2014, Paola C. decided to add to the collection a series of short stories that relate to the creation of the objects that they produce and design. The first story designed by Jaime Hayon in 2014, was followed by Tavola Gioia by Aldo Cibic, Dolce Vita by Cristina Celestino, Paesaggio Lunare by Elisa Ossino and Coquille by Chiara Andreatti. The commitment of Paola C. to give a chance to the youngest faces to design continues leading to dedicated exhibitions all around the world.