Born in Marseille in 1977, Ora-Ïto, who’s real name is Ito Morabito, is know making his name into a label. Discovered on the internet at age 19 through creations made out of international brands, Morabito is without a doubt the first designer of the digital era. His work, already iconic, seems to lead the artist towards a projection in the future, a future determined by the constraints of reality. Without any illusions, his goal is simple: invent possibilities, if not just for oneself, then through a collective, solidary, and new process. In 2010, he purchased the Cité Radieuse’s gymnasium, constructed between 1945 and 1952 by French architect Le Corbusier. The site is delicious, but a subpar addition ruins its view. Morabito decided to tear it down, except that it had already been classified with the rest of the building in 1986. With the help of the Fondation Le Corbusier, he gave the building back its original appearance, then, with the support of the Cité’s ensemble of co-owners, he finally did away with the addition: the roof terrace was reborn.
This is how the MAMO, officially stamped MarseilleProvence 2013, came to be at the heart of this vertical village. For Morabito, it’s a new horizon for artists. In this perspective, the designer and owner leaves Xavier Veilhan the greatest of liberty to install the first exhibit in this concrete oasis. “I really like this building suspended in the air, in osmosis with the elements. From this rooftop, you can see the sea, the mountain, and the sky…” declares the artist who, just for the occasion, is putting stripes on display, or more specifically, rows of lines that define a virtual plan between the vertical and horizontal ones that compose the Cité Radieuse’s roof, as well as a giant bust of Le Corbusier. Morabito hopes that at each exhibit, one work by the artist will be left behind to “create a sculpture park over time.” To see the very first, or just to sit for a lecture in the cradle of Monsieur Le Corbusier’s work, there’s way more accessible than this, perched at 56 meters above the ground.
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