Design and architecture exhibitions to see in 2024

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Designmuseum Danmark - Ph. Christian Hoyer

From the Alessandro Mendini retrospective at the Triennale to the new Doha Biennial, Barbie and her designer objects, here are this year’s unmissable Italian and international exhibitions and events

Fondation Cartier, salonemilano — Fondation Cartier - Ph. Neville Sukhia

Fondation Cartier – “Bijoy Jain / Studio Mumbai: Breath of an Architect”

How do you slow down time? The answer is, “Breathe.” Bijoy Jain, director and principal architect of Studio Mumbai, articulates this concept in the exhibition at the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, devised to engage in a dialogue with Jean Nouvel’s building. By creating a space “for contemplation and dreaming”, Jain seeks to make the exhibition above all a physical and emotional experience. On the suggestion of Hervé Chandès, general curator of the exhibition, he also invited the Chinese painter Hu Liu and the Danish ceramist of Turkish origin (but at home in Paris) Alev Ebüzziya Siesbye to join him.

Paris, until 21 April 2024

maxxi, salonemilano, alvar aalto — MAXXI, Casa sperimentale a Muuratsalo , Muuratsalo, Finlandia - Ph. Heikki Havas

MAXXI – “AALTO. Aino Alvar Elissa: la dimensione umana del progetto”

Architecture, art and design are inseparable parts of a whole in the Aaltos’ vision. Their buildings, perfectly in harmony with the natural setting, and their design objects, have become icons and are found in many homes thanks to the family’s distinctive concern for low-cost serial production. Curated by Space Caviar, the exhibition presents 11 projects created by Studio Aalto across the range of its whole activity, and by its experimental exhibit design it offers different interpretations of the work of Alvar Aalto and his two wives Aino and Elissa.

Rome, until 26 May 2024

moma, new york, salonemilano — MoMa, “Life Cycles: The Materials of Contemporary Design”

MoMa – “Life Cycles: The Materials of Contemporary Design”

Organized by Paola Antonelli and Maya Ellerkmann, the exhibition explores the regenerative power of design by reflecting on the collaborative relationship it can establish with the natural world. It highlights the whole life cycle of materials, from source to disposal or reuse, and the practices that today’s designers are experimenting with in their efforts to heal the planet. These experiments sometimes stem from ancient traditions (for example, using cow manure or the mycelium of fungi) to create innovative and sustainable strategies.

New York, until 7 July 2024

met, salonemilano — MET, Grounded in clay

Met – “Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery”

Pueblo pottery is one of Native Americans’ oldest creative expressions. In a paradigm shift that is sure to prove seminal, for the first time the Metropolitan Museum, New York, is presenting an exhibition curated by the same community of individuals who have made and used these ceramics for millennia. A showcase of fascinating historical and contemporary pieces, revealing the outlook of the indigenous people and challenging stereotypes.

New York, until 4 July 2024

eataly, bruno munari, mostre — Vetrino per Proiezione diretta, Fondazione JVBD, Milano, 1951 – Ph. Davide Marossi

Eataly Art House – “Bruno Munari: la leggerezza dell’arte”

Bruno Munari’s artistic and intellectual legacy is still relevant. The exhibition on the first floor of Eataly Verona, curated by Alberto Salvadori and Luca Zaffarano in conjunction with the Repetto Gallery in Lugano, retraces the salient stages of his career while bringing out his singular mixture of art, technology and play. The exhibition is accompanied by the same educational workshops that were originally conceived, in 1977, for the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan with the title “Playing with Art”. Based on the famed “Munari Method” in which one learns by doing.

Verona, until 31 March 2024

qatar museums, salonemilano — Qatar Museums - Courtesy of Design Doha - Ph. Nermeen Abudail

Qatar Museums – “Design Doha”

In February, the Doha Design Biennial makes its debut. Promoted by Qatar Museums, the event will take place in the existing design district (within the Msheireb district) and aims to become a focus for talents from the Middle East and North Africa. Design Doha ranges from architecture and urban planning to landscape design, graphic and textile design, woodworking, glass and ceramics. Curated by Rana Beiruti – founder of Amman Design Week – the event explores the ways local designers combine contemporary aesthetics and ancient traditions, the region’s heritage.

Doha, 24 - 28 February 2024

macro, salonemilano — MACRO Rome (work in process), BLESS, Blown Reality Curtain

MACRO – “25 Years of Always Stress with BLESS” 

Founded in 1995, Bless is a transdisciplinary studio founded in partnership between Desiree Heiss and Ines Kaag. They approach every creative effort as a way to devise solutions challenging the canons of fashion, operating on the borderline between fashion, design and conceptual installations. The Parisian-Berlin “situation designers” (as they term themselves) display a particular interest in recycling and the decontextualized use of materials, as well as craft techniques. The show at Macro is their first institutional exhibition in Italy.

Rome, from 9 February to 12 May 2024

Victoria and Albert Museum, salonemilano — Victoria and Albert Museum, London

V&A – “Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence”

Tropical Architecture in the Humid Zone was a seminal book written in 1951 by Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew showing how Le Corbusier’s theoretical pillars of architecture could be applied to equatorial conditions. The architectural style that developed in West Africa in the middle of the last century is known as Tropical Modernism. How it became a symbol of Pan-Africanism, as opposed to colonial culture, is the theme of this exhibition. Curated by Christopher Turner, Nana Biamah-Ofosu and Bushra Mohamed.

London, 2 March to May 26, 2024

la triennale, salonemilano, alessandro mendini — La Triennale, Alessandro Mendini davanti all’architettura sussurrante, 16a Triennale, 1979 - © Triennale Milano – Archivi

La Triennale – “Io sono un drago: la vera storia di Alessandro Mendini”

Determined to shy away from all labels, he provided his own most fitting definition. In an emblematic self-portrait, Alessandro Mendini declared: “I am not an architect, I am a dragon.” This is the starting point for the title of the extensive retrospective devoted to the architect, designer, artist and theorist who left his mark on the revolutions of thought and customs of the old century and the new millennium. Stemming from a collaboration between the Triennale and the Fondation Cartier, the exhibition – curated by Fulvio Irace – brings together works from public and private collections and involves voices from around the world.

Milan, from 13 April to 13 October 2024

salonemilano, salonesatellite — SaloneSatellite

La Triennale – “I 25 anni del SaloneSatellite”

An event that has established itself as a springboard for designers under 35, the SaloneSatellite, launched 25 years ago by Marva Griffin, who is still its moving spirit, is celebrating this important anniversary with an exhibition at the Triennale in conjunction with the Salone del Mobile 2024. Curated by Beppe Finessi, the exhibition tells the story of the protagonists of the SaloneSatellite and presents their recent projects, demonstrating how the event continues to be, as it has always been, an outpost for new talents, creating a bridge between the worlds of creativity and entrepreneurship.

Milan, 16 - 28 April 2024

mak, salonemilano — MAK Auböck, Mara Uckunowa

MAK – “Iconic Auböck”

The legendary Werkstätte Auböck is now in its fourth generation, but its lovely little brass objects – such as coat hangers, paperweights and corkscrews – are still handmade in the Viennese workshop. They are now design classics. The exhibition “Iconic Auböck” focuses on the period that most of all defined the figure of the workshop founded by Carl Auböck, namely the years between the wars and the experimental eighties. In particular, this exhibition unveils for the first time the work of Auböck’s wife, the sculptor and textile artist Mara Uckunowa (1895–1987). The two met at the Bauhaus in Weimar.

Vienna, from 15 May to 13 October 2024

Andrés Reisinger, salonemilano — Andrés Reisinger, Hortensia, Digital Piece, 2018

Vitra Design Museum – “Science Fiction Design: From Space Age to Metaverse”

The annual presentation at the Vitra Schaudepot showcases items from the Vitra Design Museum’s permanent collection, each one telling a different story. This edition is devoted to the “future” and ranges from the furnishings of the first sci-fi films to the design of virtual spaces. Here we find a selection of pieces that were revolutionary for the years when they saw the light, both by their technological innovations and the utopias they implied. Visionary objects, which have finally entered common use, shaping the world we live in.

Weil am Rhein, from 18 May 2024 to 11 May 2025

Designmuseum Danmark, salonemilano — Designmuseum Danmark, Verner Panton - Ph. Pernille Klemp

Designmuseum Denmark – “Danish Modern”

Danish design represents an era, a style, a national brand. It gained popularity in the mid-20th century and quickly became famous throughout the West. But what lies behind the concept of “Danish Modern”? In a new permanent exhibition, Copenhagen’s design museum examines some of the greatest design classics and tells the story of their success. On this occasion, the popular “chair tunnel” will also be renewed in an enlarged version showcasing 125 chairs from floor to ceiling.

Copenhagen, 1 May 1 2024 to 3 May 2026

london design museum, salonemilano — London Design Museum, Barbie Dream House, 1962 - Ph. Mattel, Inc

London Design Museum – “Barbie®: The Exhibition”

After the movie, widely anticipated, there is still plenty of material to perpetuate the Barbie-craze. Here it’s her houses, cars and clothes that go under the magnifying glass. The exhibition illustrates the oscillations of taste through the world of the famous doll, a mirror of pop culture. Curated by Danielle Thom, “Barbie®: The Exhibition” coincides with the 65th anniversary of the Barbie brand and was made possible through a partnership with Mattel Inc., which gave the museum access to its immense archives in California.

London, 5 July 2024 to 23 February 2025

vitra, salonemilano — Piet Oudolf, Oudolf Garten on the Vitra Campus, Weil am Rhein, 2020 © Vitra - Ph. Dejan Jovanovic

Nieuwe Instituut – "Garden Futures"

Avant-garde gardens and the avant-garde in the garden. This is the theme of the exhibition - developed in collaboration with the Vitra Design Museum and the Wüstenrot Foundation - that explores the historical foundations and most interesting experiences of the contemporary garden, no longer understood as a romantic refuge but as a laboratory where urgent themes such as sustainability, biodiversity and social justice are experimented. From modern forms of community gardens to vertical greenery, passing through the projects of Roberto Burle Marx, Derek Jarman and Jamaica Kincaid. With set design by the duo Formafantasma.

Rotterdam, from November 2024

10 January 2024