Milan in April is full of people. In addition to the Milan International Furniture Fair, founded in 1961, which attracts professionals from all over the world to make the pilgrimage, the streets of the city center, outside the exhibition halls, are also filled with revelers.
Maria Porro, President of the Milan International Furniture Fair, has said, "Milan Fair has never been just a fair, but a value, and a transmission of the Made in Italy spirit."
/ The Beginning of Milan Fair and its 61st Anniversary /
As Milan Design Week 2023 is about to begin, let's take a look back at the beginning of the fair as we look at its present.
| 1961 Origins
Poster for the first Milan exhibition
In 1961, the Italian Furniture Association (Cosmit) hosted the first Salone del Mobile Italiano, a successful expression of the design world's novel shapes and avant-garde design language. Since then, this exhibition has been held annually.
| 1965-1967 Extended Development
In the 1970s, the Milan International Furniture Fair began to experiment with the extension of the fair, placing emphasis on cultural activities such as installation art.
| 1967-2004 Towards internationalization
1974 International Kitchen Furniture Exhibition, 1976 European Lighting International Lighting Exhibition, 1982 Office Furniture Exhibition (EIMU), 1989 International Decorative Supporting Exhibition, 1998 International Young Stars of Tomorrow Satellite Exhibition (SaloneSatellite), since 2000, on the basis of the original Milan International Furniture Exhibition at the same time held Milan Design Week.
| 2005 ~ Internationalization Process
Since 2005, Salone Wordwide has been held in Moscow and New York, thus starting its internationalization process, and landed in Shanghai in 2016 with the first Milan International Furniture (Shanghai) Exhibition.
Light has many definitions, and in this special, new year, light represents even more of a brave aspiration for the future.
The world's largest annual design event, Milan Design Week 2023, will take place from April 18 to 23 and includes the Salone del Mobile program, as well as a series of exhibitions and events distributed in different areas of the city.
PART 1 Introduction to the key exhibitions of Milan Furniture Fair 2023
| Milan International Furniture Fai
The 61st edition of Salone Internazionale del Mobile, inspired by Euroluce, a biennial dedicated to the world of lighting, offers a new trade fair experience with a new layout and distributes the exhibition on a single level, while focusing on the interdisciplinary cultural content of the relationship between light, architecture, art and science. The aim is to build an impactful program that brings together 1,962 exhibitors, focuses on sustainability, and provides a subjective, memorable experience for visitors.
Time: April 18 - April 23, 2023
Venue: Rho Fiera Milano
| Euroluce, the international lighting exhibition for European lighting
Euroluce is now in its 31st edition and the City of Light will be the concept and common thread running through the exhibition. The power of imagination and concrete visions will characterize the interdisciplinary cultural content, transforming Euroluce into an active center of emotion and knowledge.
In addition to the specialized design exhibitor section, in 2023, Beppe Finessi's curatorial approach to the theme of light provides a diverse and choreographed interpretation of Euroluce's cultural events category, while Formafantasma has designed and created the Aurore and 12 individual spaces that offer both immersive and reflective experiences and serve as venues for many presentations The exhibition is scheduled for April 2023.
Exhibition period: April 18 - April 23, 2023
Exhibition Venue: Milan International Exhibition Centre, Halls 9-11 & 13-15
| SaloneSatellite
Every year, the young power of Milan Furniture Fair is an important part of the show that attracts much attention.
This year, more than 550 designers from 34 countries are participating in the 24th edition of SaloneSatellite. In 2023, SaloneSatellite focused more on design schools and set the theme "BUILDING THE (IM)POSSIBLE. Process, Progress, Practice".
Italian sculptor and designer-architect Gaetano Pesce will participate in this satellite exhibition event
The exhibition area, curated and designed by architect Ricardo Bello Dias, is inspired by natural light, and the participating design schools and university stands are set up on the periphery of the exhibitors, heralding the burgeoning of new design forces. In the satellite exhibition, exhibitors respond to the long-standing question of where design is going through art installations and the work of graduating students. (Design: WHERE ARE YOU GOING?) to explore and address the challenges of the future.
SaloneSatellite exhibition area
Exhibition time: April 18, 2023 - April 23, 2023
Exhibition Venue: The new but completely natural pavilion (Halls 13-15) of Eurolight International Lighting Fair
PART 2 2023 Milan Design Week Selected Global Brand Exhibitions
| VIENI A VEDERE
Italian designer Pesce and fashion house Bottega Veneta have created an immersive installation for their Milan store.
Made of resin and textiles and designed by Pesce, the installation resembles a narrow cave surrounding a series of handbags designed by Pesce. The bag designs will feature mountains, inspired by sunrises and sunsets.
Exhibition dates: April 15 - April 22
Exhibition address: Bottega Veneta, Via Monte Napoleone, 27/A
| HERMES
Hermès will showcase one of the most anticipated installations of Design Week, as the venerable French luxury brand presents its latest collection of furniture and home accessories in the vast space of the Indoor Sports Center in downtown Brera.
Show dates: April 19-April 22 Exhibition address: La Pelota Jai Alai, Via Palermo 10
| FENDI CASA
During Milan Design Week 2023, FENDI Casa presents its new collections, including the Blown combination sofa by Controvento and the Ottavia chair by Christina Celestino.
Exhibition period: April 18 - April 23
Exhibition address: FENDI Casa, Piazza della Scala
| PRADA
Italian fashion house Prada, in collaboration with design studio Formafantasma, curates a three-day exhibition: this year's Prada Frames explores the relationship between design and the environment, with the theme Materials in Flux, exploring waste management and the recycling of materials and products.
Show dates: April 17 - April 19
Address: Teatro Filodrammatici, Piazza Paolo Ferrari 6, 20121 Milan, Italy
| THE SECRET GARDEN
Office furniture brand Bene presents its outdoor furniture collection called Casual: the installation features benches and tables with the theme of "secret gardens", along with digital art and paper flower art, exploring the symbiotic relationship between art and design, while expressing the exploration of spring.
Exhibition Period: April 18 - April 21
Address: Bene Showroom, Foro Buonaparte 53, 1st Floor, 20121 Milan, Italy
| ISSEY MIYAKE
Issey Miyake presented a special exhibition "THINKING DESIGN, MAKING DESIGN: TYPE-V Nature Architects" during Milan Design Week. The project explores the role of design in structure, material and manufacture, and how they can be integrated.
Exhibition Period: April 18 - April 23
Location: ISSEY MIYAKE, Via Bagutta 12
| 10 CORSO COMO
Scarlet Splendor and 10 Corso Como demonstrate the unusual connection between man and nature through luxurious and functional furniture.
These furnishings can transform any home into an exotic forest, where eccentric shapes, sophisticated colors and brass finishes create a sense of elegant delight, and the clever use of eclectic style, intricate silhouettes and precise functionality create a contemporary classic that transcends geographical and temporal boundaries, like a true Indian fairy tale.
Exhibition Period: April 17 - April 23
Exhibition address: 10 Corso Como - Corso Como 10, 20154 Milan, Italy
PART 3 Top 5 must-see art exhibitions in Milan in April
| Miart 2023 Milan International Contemporary Art Exhibition
miart - International Exhibition of Modern and Contemporary Art in Milan - is the exhibition that presents the broadest chronological sequence in Italy, offering a wide audience of Italian and international collectors the opportunity to discover masterpieces created from the beginning of the 20th century to the latest generation.
Exhibition dates: April 14-16, 2023
Exhibition venue: Allianz MiCo, Padiglione 3, viale Scarampo
| Surrealism Exhibition
Dalí/Marguerite/Man Ray and Surrealism
The 180 works on display include 6 sections of paintings, drawings, handicrafts, texts, books, magazines, and sculptures. The themes are dreams and reality, psychology, love and desire, and a new model of beauty.
The exhibition runs until July 30, 2023
Exhibition venue: Mudec - Museo delle Culture
| Visual Art Installation Exhibition
RAINBOW
Color and wonder between myth, art and science
Inspired by the Rainbow Exhibition held in San Francisco in 1975, MUDEC proposes an exhibition project composed of different narratives related to the rainbow, understood as a natural, cultural, spiritual and human phenomenon.
The exhibition runs until July 2, 2023
Exhibition venue: Mudec - Museo delle Culture
| Video Art Exhibition: BILL VIOLA
The exhibition of Bill Viola, the "Godfather of Video Art", is definitely one of the most important exhibitions of Italian contemporary art this year, with a selection of works from the past forty years, defining a unique world.
Exhibition Time: Fino al 25 giugno 2023
Exhibition Venue: Palazzo Reale
One of the greatest masters of fashion photography: Guy Bourdin's remarkable narrative ability, with provocative shots that manage to tell mysterious and somewhat surreal stories, is captivating.
Exhibition hours: Exhibition runs until August 31st
Exhibition address: via Bergognone, 40
PART 4 Global Art Masters on Fire
#1 Return to the Light of Lights Exhibition
Milan 2023 is a return to "light".
After four years of absence, the Euroluce Biennale, designed by Milan architecture studio Lombardini22 and dedicated to light brands, will be launched at this Design Week under the theme "The city of Lights". According to statistics, there will be nearly 400 international lighting brands participating in it, through the work to explore the relationship between light and architecture.
The Euroluce Biennale site Slamp is a local Italian lighting brand, and in 2012 Nigel Coates, then Artistic Director, invited his classmate, the legendary architect Zaha Hadid, to design lamps for Slamp. two chandeliers, Aria and Avia, were born in Zaha's studio in London.
▲Aria Infinita Collection
For this Biennale, Slamp brings the Aria Infinita series to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its collaboration with Zaha Hadid. The series is a light installation that starts with the shortest 4.7m lamp, which undulates, twists and extends through the space by virtue of its sinuous lines and shapes.
#2 Crossover creation of art and design
Design genius and "king of destruction"
Daniel Arsham is a very active and prolific American artist who works in the fields of fashion, sculpture, visuals, etc. Dior and Tiffany have collaborated with him, and his own fashion brand made a splash at the Paris Fashion Week earlier this year.
The "Future Relic" series is Daniel Arsham's best known work, "destroying" everyday objects to make them appear as if they were unearthed thousands of years later.
▲The exhibition "Artifacts in the Landscape" at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, UK, 2022, is from the artist and Belvedere Gallery.
In this Milan exhibition, fashion favorite Arsham and Japanese designer Oki Sato have joined forces to present a series of furniture pieces. These pieces also have a "broken" appearance, with light gray plaster and weathered sections reminiscent of the ruined walls of ancient Greek architecture.
Both designers are master designers who are good at breaking the rules, and this joint effort has undoubtedly become one of the most pioneering and most anticipated works at this Milan exhibition.
▲Da Sato (left) Daniel Arsham (right) at the Milan show, Photo source: Milan Design Week official instagram account
Art and Furniture: Inspiration from Matisse
Maison Matisse, a brand from the UK, was founded by the great-grandson of French Fauvist artist Henri Matisse (Matisse). Matisse's passionate creations are known for their spirited and bold colors and have a large "fan" base.
Toogood reinterprets Matisse's black and white manuscripts inspired by his 1943 book Dessins: Thèmes et Variaries, a collaboration between Maison Matisse and artist Faye Toogood, which was presented at Milan Design Week.
▲Matisse's painting in Design: Themes and Variations
▲The picture on the right shows Toogood's creative process
Toogood improvises with Chinese ink on white paper, re-experiencing Matisse's classic, flowing lines, and building on this spirituality into the soft, hand-tufted wool carpets.
▲Toogood's rugs inspired by Matisse's paintings
In addition, Toogood has designed a series of coffee tables, side tables, and armchairs that explore how to bring Matisse's artistic inspiration back into our daily lives.
Esquisses" series of furniture
#3 Chinese designers in Milan
Cai Liechao: Light as a Method In 2019, designer Cai Liechao had an independent exhibition, bringing four groups of works to Milan Design Week that year through the theme of "From Structure": two groups of light installations, created with the help of the structure of the traditional Chinese sitting furniture "Maza"; two groups of furniture works, using aluminum and stainless steel sheets as materials, exploring the function of different structural forms. Two sets of lighting installations were created with the help of the structure of the traditional Chinese seating furniture "matzah"; two sets of furniture works were made of aluminum profiles and stainless steel sheets, exploring the functional characteristics of different structural forms. Returning to Milan after four years, Cai Liechao continues his research on structure and modulization, bringing a new product series "Architectural Light" under his own brand MARIO TSAI. In this series, Tsai uses the light source as the basic module of the luminaire, and then adds different sizes and shapes of connections according to the preset light reflection and refraction effects to create three luminaire series.
▲From left to right, the luminaire series of "Architectural Light", Tower pagoda, Flower Bloom, Grid Lighti
▲The site return picture of Cai Liechao's studio
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Portable rechargeable lights customized for Design Week
will be used as an element of the Take it easy flash mob
Randomly appearing in the city of Milan
Zhou Chen Chen: three sets of works, three "rhythms" 6 years ago at the Milan Satellite Exhibition, as a Chinese designer who won the "New Design Award", Zhou Chen Chen used his individual design language and balanced the aesthetic philosophies of East and West to create many elegant and time-sensitive works. He has been a regular visitor of major design exhibitions for many years.
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Zhou Chen Chen at Milan Design Week 2023
©Frank Chou
This year's Milan exhibition, Zhou Chen Chen brought three groups of works: Balance dumbbell, through the pure geometric deconstruction and reorganization of Roman columns, both aesthetic and functional; Sketch series, made of recycled rubber weave, environmentally friendly and beautiful, to meet the needs of different scenes indoors and outdoors; Signature series, continuing the collaboration with Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades. The Signature series, continuing the collaboration with Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades, brings a new presentation and display.
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Zhou Chen Chen's new product launched at 2023 Milan Design Week: Balance dumbbell©Frank Chou
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New Product No. 2: Sketch Series
©Frank Chou
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Zhou Chen Chen for Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades
Outdoor furniture Signature designed by Chen-Chen Zhou for Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades
©Frank Chou
Pinwheel Pinwu: an upgrade of recyclable materials
PinWu also has a connection with the Milan exhibition. The founding designer, Lei Zhang, and the other two founders, Jovana and Christoph, used the traditional Chinese oil paper umbrella process to make the "Pinwu" masterpiece "Piao" paper chair, which won the 2011 Milan Furniture Fair Salonesatellite Award. Zhang Lei also became the first Chinese designer to win this award.
For this year's Milan exhibition, Pinwou was invited by Japanese architecture firm Schemata Architects & Jo Nagasaka to participate in the live exhibition of Re;collective, an initiative by Korean sustainable fashion brand Re;code. This time, they created a sustainable design piece "CEWO" seating set based on the exhibition theme "Upcycle".
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CEWO" sitting furniture at Milan Design Week
©️ Pinwu
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In addition, in the exhibition area of the University of Milan
There is also the installation "Momentum" designed by Chinese architect Ma Yansong.
#4 New Favourites in Furniture: Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence
3D printed "Silent Valley"
Richard Yasmine is a Lebanese designer whose designs are bold, direct and with a touch of fantasy, often combining tradition with a modern sense of trend. At Milan Design Week two years ago, he presented his "Flowing Fragments" collection. Inspired by classic architectural motifs from ancient Greek and Roman times, the pieces are full of minimalist geometric shapes, each "fragment" can be used as a table or stool, made of alternating sedimentary stone and basalt slabs, conveying the designer's reflections on the city's cultural heritage.
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Richard Yasmine's work at Milan Design Week 2021
Image source from the designer and 5VIE Gallery
This year, Yasmine returns to Milan Design Week to explore the use of artificial intelligence in furniture design. His installation "Silent Hollows" is a series of tables and wall sconces in the form of "volcanoes", made entirely of foam, fiberglass, and lightweight concrete, 3D printed and handcrafted. The materials are all made of foam, fiberglass, and lightweight concrete, and are 3D printed by hand.
Yasmine's work is as poetic and dreamy as ever. Talking about his latest work, he says, "The human brain is a huge void where all kinds of strange and weird ideas can appear. Fantasies, desires, visions, and impulses are all things that allow ideas to grow into reality. We should not put restrictions on things or ideas, but rather train more and keep expanding the free growth of our minds". In the city of Milan, these natural organic forms will lead the audience to a dreamy interstellar voyage. Digital Gardens Visual Citizens, a creative visual design studio from Rotterdam, Netherlands, is also known as the pioneer of digital gardens and has co-branded with Apple, LVMH, Cartier and more. For this Milan Design Week, they created a super dreamy secret garden for German office furniture brand Bene.
Bene|Secret Garden #5 The Potential of Recycled Materials for Environmental and Sustainable Design
During Milan Design Week, Formafantasma Studio was again invited by Prada to curate the "Prada Frames" project, a workshop this year on the theme of "changing materials", where the concept of "waste" is seen as a material in transformation and how to better recycle it. This year, the theme of the workshop was "Changing Materials", and the concept of "waste" was considered as a material in the process of transformation, exploring how it can be better recycled.
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Prada Frames 2023, image courtesy of Gregorio Gonella
The seventh edition of the Isola Design Festival, organized by design platform Isola, was also held during the Milan fair. The theme of this year's festival, "If it didn't happen, it didn't happen," addressed the increasingly serious environmental issues of the day: the deterioration of the planet, the gradual use and consumption of our planet's The theme of this year's festival was "If it didn't happen, it didn't happen", which explored the growing environmental problems: the deterioration of the Earth, the gradual use and depletion of our planet's natural resources by humans, and the huge hollow footprint left behind. With nearly 300 designers and over 50 exhibitions and installations, the festival is the largest to date.
#7 Innovation in materials and processes
Walk the Talk - Moving Energy, an installation by Italian architects Italo Rota and Carlo Ratti, located in the Brera Botanical Gardens. The installation echoes the theme "Laboratory of the Future" and the path changes with time, light and sound, exploring the development of mobility.
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Installation "Walk the Talk - Moving Energy
Ellen Van Loon and Giulio Margheri, architects of the Dutch studio OMA, collaborated with the material brand SolidNature to create an underground installation called "Beyond the Surface", an "immersive dreamscape". The main material is natural stone, which is compressed and solidified in nature through the design.
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Underground installation "Beyond the Surface"
Since 2015, the Norwegian design organization Norwegian Presence has been showcasing young Norwegian design talent during Milan Design Week. This year is no exception, not only the works of young designers such as Tobias Berg and Ann Kristin Einarsen will be exhibited, but also the bench inspired by the shape of spaghetti and made of extruded aluminum by designer Lars Beller Fjetland is worth seeing.
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Norwegian Presence on site
©️Magnus Nordstrand
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