“Design always plays a role as a mediator: between art and commerce, between culture and business, between people and products, between form and function.”
Gabriela Chicherio is a product designer with a focus on concepts, curation, exhibitions, and mediation. She is co-founder and co-curator of the Design Biennale Zurich as well as of the Zurich Design Weeks and guides through Zurich as a tour guide for Design Promenade.
Her studies in product and industrial design at the ECAL in Lausanne shaped her approach to contemporary design and her self-perception of the profession. She is convinced that in times of economic crises, environmental pollution and cheap mass-produced goods from Asia, designers must take responsibility and fundamentally rethink products and services.
Designing products
Her first product for the international manufacturer Ligne Roset was a funnel, which was created as part of a teaching project. This was followed by a storage furniture with rotating and extendable segments and the AMIS DE JEAN luminaire family, which is intended to be understood as a homage to Jean Prouvé’s „Potence“ lamp. She realized some of her designs on her own initiative as small series: „Products should be a self-evident thing and at the same time have that certain something. They should be material-appropriate, durable, aesthetic and honest.“
Exploring Materials
After her studies, Chicherio worked for several years in Beat Karrer’s team and was involved in material development and communication in the early days of the material innovation FluidSolids. At the same time, she worked as an assistant in the specialization Industrial Design at the Zurich University of the Arts. Among other things, she was responsible for the exhibitions of the specialization at Designers‘ Saturday in Langenthal, designed diploma exhibitions and supported teaching projects and bachelor theses.
Planning and selling
In 2011 Gabriela Chicherio became self-employed and has since then continued to pursue various engagements in parallel. While working as a part-time shop manager at the furniture store Viadukt*3 she was able to live out her passion for furniture. The direct exchange with the clientele, the knowledge of their needs and the insight into this market were important experiences, which were then incorporated into the revision of the collection at the Stuhl- und Tischfabrik Klingnau (chair and table factory Klingnau).
From 2018 to 2022, she led the office of the Made in Zurich initiative, which advocates for the promotion of urban production in the city of Zurich. The goal is to give greater importance to the production of goods within the city, increase the visibility of local businesses, and label products with a unique, local origin mark.
Curation and mediation
Chicherio leads guided tours in Zurich with a focus on „Design in Public Space.“ Since 2023, she has also curated the temporary window exhibitions „A Window by Swiss Design Embassy“ in Zurich.
Her most significant and comprehensive commitment lies in the two events she co-founded: Zurich Design Weeks and Design Biennale Zürich. Gabriela Chicherio is particularly passionate about highlighting the cultural relevance of design to a broad audience.
The Design Biennale Zürich offers a curated platform for experimental design installations across various disciplines, exploring the intersections of material, technology, and society. Held biennially since 2017, the exhibition has been focused on the outdoor space of the Old Botanical Garden of the University of Zurich (UZH) since 2021.
Since 2022, Zurich Design Weeks have transformed the Limmat city into a design metropolis every year, inviting a diverse audience to explore exhibitions, installations, and events. As festival director since 2024, Gabriela Chicherio has been responsible for the thematic focuses, original formats, and collaborations.
Contact: gabriela(at)chicherio.com
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WORK EXPERIENCE
now
Gabriela Chicherio Product Design, designer and owner
Zurich Design Weeks, co-founder & festival direction
Design Biennale Zürich, co-founder & co-curation
Swiss Design Embassy, project management, curation
Design Promenade, tour guide Zürich
2012–2023 Luca Zanier Photography, freelancer, communication
2018–2022 Made in Zürich Initiative, office manager
2018–2019 Stuhl- und Tischfabrik Klingnau, art director
2012–2019 Zürcher Hochschule der Künste ZHdK,Guest teacher
2015–2018 Viadukt*3 – Tisch und Stuhl, shop manager
2011 Foundation of Gabriela Chicherio Product Design
2007–2012 ZHdK / Industrial Design, teaching assistant
2005–2015 Studio Beat Karrer / FluidSolids AG, junior/senior designer
2003 Studio Aisslinger, Berlin, internship
2002 e-team design, Zurich, internship
2000–2004 University of Art and Design Lausanne ECAL, industrial design
1999–2000 Atelier de Sèvres, Paris, preparatory art course
1999 Stiftsschule Einsiedeln, Swiss Federal Matura (Latin/English)
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CURATION
Since 2023 A window by Swiss Design Embassy Zurich
Since 2022 Zurich Design Weeks: UNCOVER, TRANSITION, GOOD NEWS, TEAM UP
Since 2017 Design Biennale Zürich: HELLO FUTURE, PLAY, CLASH, SHIFT, SIDE BY SIDE
2020 Inspired by Switzerland, Moscow, Chur, Lausanne
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EXHIBITIONS
2021 Inspired by Switzerland, Moscow, Chur, Lausanne
2017 SaloneSatellite – 20 Years of New Creativity, Milan
2013 Blickfang Locals, Zurich
2012 BIO23 Design Relations, Biennial of Design, Ljubljana
2011 Take a seat, Zurich / Feuille blanche, Zurich / La placette, Lausanne
2011 CH Box – CHarity exhibition for Japan (various places)
2009 Vienna Design Week Schaulabor / Airbags Radostar Exhibition, Geneva
2008 Concept store by Aebischer//Chicherio, Salone Satellite Milano
2007 Talents, tendency lifestyle (Frankfurt)
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JURIES
2022 SDA Bachelor Awards, ZHdK
2019 Hochparterre die Besten 2019
2019 Elite Design Award 2019
2018 Designathon
2018 Masterpiece by formforum
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MEMBERSHIPS
Schule für Holzbildhauerei Brienz, school councilor
Swiss design association, member
Pro Kultur Zürich, member