If you are passionate about art+design

At FuoriSalone 2024 design and art influence and contaminate each other. If you are passionate about art design, don't miss:

- Intertwined narratives by Draga&Aurel in the wunderkammer of Visionnaire ( piazza Cavour 3), a game of role exchanges between art and design, where the power of colors and pictorial gestures illuminates the walls guiding the path between collectible design objects. “I have worked for a long time as a textile designer in fashion and fabrics are my first love: it was natural to imagine bringing Aurel's works, so powerful and with kinetic strength, onto fabric,” says Draga Obradovic.

- Cesi n'est pas une salle à manger by Fornasetti (in the showroom corso Venezia21A), a new collection of accessories and furniture for the dining room with motifs inspired by the historical archive. In store, don't miss Fornasetti's collaboration with Poltrona Frau: a limited edition of 50 pieces of the Vanity Fair XC armchair embellished with the famous decorations of the Milanese atelier such as clouds, the sun and the moon.

- Glint by Quayola for Ceramiche Refin (in the Refin Studio, via Melone 2): great anticipation for the arrival of the Roman Davide Quayola, one of the most requested and appreciated exponents of media art. The artist who uses robotic arms, generative software and artificial intelligence to reinterpret the languages and codes of classical art and observe nature, creates the site-specific work and installation Glint for Ceramiche Refin.

- Ronan Bouroullec x Mutina: Casa Mutina and the adjacent garden and loft of Spazio Cernaia(via Cernaia 1A) host Ronan Bouroullec's solo show, with ceramic works between art and design such as Adagio, a series of ceramic modules designed to be assembled and generate spectacular wall sculptures.

If you want to know the history of design and the great masters

-I am a dragon. The true story of Alessandro Mendini, from 13 April to 13 October at the Triennale di Milano, the largest and most complete retrospective on the brilliant designer, artist, critic, theorist, ( but also a powerful communicator and performer) who left us in 2019, curated by Fulvio Irace and set up by Pierre Charpin.

- Gaetano Pesce: Nice to see you, at the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana (piazza Pio XI 2) , from 15 to 23 April, a collection of around thirty works, mostly unpublished, by the master who recently left us, with the monumental installation The tired man (in Piazza San Pio XI) which speaks of the ethical tiredness from which he suffers the so-called “strong sex”. The great artist-designer should have received the Gold Medal of the Iulm University for innovation, communication and cultural excellence on April 16th at 6 pm, and he was supposed to hold a masterclass at the Milanese university. The event will be transformed, in agreement with the family, into an in memoriam tribute with memories, testimonies and video projections. At the end, the rector Gianni Canova will give Pesce's children the Gold Medal that the maestro had accepted with enthusiasm. The event will be preceded by an introduction by Silvana Annicchiarico.

- Projects for serving, the Castiglionis and catering: the exhibition from 16 to 21 April at the Achille Castiglioni foundation (piazza Castello 27) curated by Chiara Alessi and Marco Marzini stages for the first time the catering setups designed by the Castiglioni brothers between the end of the 1950s and early 1970s. Brilliant spatial solutions for restaurants, pubs, kiosks, refreshment points that no longer exist, therefore a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of those years and relive the enlightened and holistic design approach of the Castiglionis.

If you are looking for inspiration for your home

If you are on the hunt for trends you are spoiled for choice. To avoid getting lost (on your way and on your mind), here are three addresses not to be missed:

- Districts with a high density of furniture showrooms, such as Durini Design District, with shops ranging from B&B Italia (via Durini 14) to Cappellini (via Borgogna 8 ), from Cassina (via Durini 16) to Molteni&C (corso Europa 2); and Brera Design District which condenses 196 showrooms, with 15 new openings. Among the historic streets of Brera it is possible to discover innovations in furniture and new trends, but also the new frontiers of materials, as in the Design duo double feature exhibition by Fenix (via Quintino Sella 1) , curated by Federica Sala with protagonists Cara\Davide, Dwa Design Studio, Martinelli > Venezia, Næssi Studio, mist-o and Zanellato/Bortotto.

- The Artemest Apartment in the Vignale residence (via Enrico Toti 2): a celebration of beauty and uniqueness of Italian craftsmanship and design within a princely residence. The Artemest Apartment was set up with products that can be purchased online by the creatives Elicyon, Gachot, Rottet Studio, Studio Meshary AlNassar, Tamara Feldman Design and Vshd Design.

- Paola Lenti Milan (via Giovanni Bovio 28): for those looking for inspiration to furnish their home with indoor&outdoor furniture, the address to mark on the map is the new one Paola Lenti's flagship store, in the Maciachini area, a peripheral area north of Milan. A former industrial complex of 4 thousand square metres redeveloped and transformed into bioecological architecture, where new outdoor features interact in symbiosis with plants of different species and seasons. A magical place, which will host the highly anticipated Nendo exhibition entitled Nendo: whispers of nature.

If you love lamps

Even if 2024 is not the year of Euroluce, the biennial Salone del Mobile dedicated to lighting, there are many showrooms in the city that present new products and illuminating projects. The street where the main brands are concentrated is Corso Monforte, among the brands present:

- Artemide (corso Monforte 19): the company led by Carlotta de Bevilacqua presents eight new products and numerous extensions of already existing families, such as Ixa by Foster + Partners, Stellar Nebula by Big and Dreispitz by Herzog & de Meuron.

- Foscarini (corso Monforte 19): Foscarini Spazio Monforte every year is the place to open your mind, reflect freely, explore different directions and off-the-beaten-paths. This year Carlo Urbinati's company invites us to discover Habitus, the experimental and free research of the artist and designer Andrea Anastasio which combines light, art and craftsmanship, haute couture and embroidery, including beads, sequins and laser-cut PET strips.

- Flos (corso Monforte 9 and 15): the great protagonist of the Flos shop windows is the successful family of IC Lights lamps by Michael Anastassiades which celebrates ten years this year with a special celebratory edition. The new releases from Flos, signed by Formafantasma, Barber & Osgerby and Michael Anastassiades will also be in the historic setting of Palazzo Visconti (via Cino del Duca 8).

- Davide Groppi: it's not in Corso Monforte, but in via Alessandro Manzoni 38, Davide Groppi's new space. Over two hundred square meters distributed on two levels in the heart of Milan, designed with the 967arch studio, a place where you can be enraptured by the poetic and playful creations of the designer-inventor from Piacenza.

If you are looking for contact with nature

- The Secret Garden of Green Island, in the concourse of the Garibaldi station. The path of eco-design, landscapes and botany curated by ClaudiaZanfi, where visitors will be able to take a pit-stop from the frenetic design week and regenerate in an unusual garden populated by natural elements, wax, bees and vegetation. In the center: the natural yarn rug by Matteo Cibic for JaipurRugs.

- Matter in motion: Grand Seiko transforms Casa Brera (via Formentini 10) in a birch forest, where you can experiment and practice forest bathing, that is, a saving and regenerating immersion in nature. A sensory and natural path followed, by contrast, by an urban forest populated by vertical LED walls. A reflection on the increasingly precarious balance between man and nature.

- Planetarium: an inflatable structure 9 meters in diameter envelops the tree in the courtyard of theUniversity of Milan(via Festa del Perdono 7). It is Planetarium by Labo.Art with Plastique Fantastique, part of the rich program of events INTERNI Cross Vision from 15 to 28 April in six different locations. From inside the maxi sphere, made of waterproof Labo.art fabric, you can observe the celestial vault mixed with branches and leaves. An experience made even more exciting thanks to Gianni Rodari's nursery rhymes narrated by Pablo Trincia which bring back childhood memories and the joy of enchantment.

- Like trees in the woods by NichelcromLab: at the Superdesign Show 2024 by SuperstudioPiù(via Tortona 27), a (real) oak forest, donated by the Innocenti e Mangoni nursery of Pistoia, which is reflected infinitely thanks to the mirrored steel that surrounds it. It is Like trees in the woods, the site-specific installation by the sculptor Michele D'Agostino, curated by Giandomenico Di Marzio for NichelcromLab, an Italian brand specialized in coverings and surfaces in stainless steel. Once the FuoriSalone is finished, the oak trees will be planted in the Milan area.

If you want to have fun

The FuoriSalone is an inclusive and democratic maxi event that brings everyone closer to the world of design, sector professionals, families, students, design enthusiasts or simply curious people. Here are three events with a high level of entertainment:

- At Tortona Rocks (Visconti pavilion, via Tortona 58): 1st by Ikea: an exhibition-event that explores the many “first times” that people experience when they move into their first home, with a focus on the new generations. A welcoming space for everyone, which is transformed into a place of refreshment and relaxation, with a bistro and a rich program of musical events, with talents who will perform with unreleased pieces in evenings open to the public from 16 to 20 April, from 6 pm at 11pm.

- The Design Pride of Seletti, Wednesday April 17th from 6pm to midnight, one of the most overwhelming and loved pop events of the design week. Under the message of inclusion We are design the public is invited to join the street parade which this year starts from Piazza Affari and arrives at the Arco della Pace for the final party. “Every year I think it will be difficult to organize a more beautiful edition than the last one and instead it is always a surprise,” says StefanoSeletti, Seletti artistic director and creator of the project. “The success of Design Pride is in fact given by the energy of the people, especially the many boys and girls who participate with enthusiasm because they recognize themselves in this moment of joy”.

- Il Talamo at Base Milan (Tortona area, via Bergognone 34), the performative sculpture by the duo of Italian architects resident in London Lemonot (Sabrina Morreale and Lorenzo Perri) in collaboration with Xavier Madden and Katja Banović: a participatory convivial architecture, an immense bed (made with Noctis) and at the same time light, a dynamic stage that will host the arisandmartha performers (Aris Papadopoulos and Martha Pasakopoulou) and forms of spontaneous theatricality that will involve the audience.

If you need a break from design week

Finally, if after so much fun you need a break from the adrenaline-filled design week, here are three dense and significant moments of reflection:

- The first literary club of Miu Miu Literary Club, Writing Life, at the Circolo Filologico (via Clerici 10), on 17 and 18 April (registration on miumiu.com), two days focused on two classics of Italian literature: Una donna by Sibilla Aleramo from 1906, and Quaderno prohibitito by Alba De Céspedes from 1952, with round tables, musical performances and poetry readings involving acclaimed writers.

- Prada Frames at the Museo Bagatti Valsecchi (via Gesù 5), from 14 to 16 April, (registration on prada.com), the multidisciplinary symposium of in-depth analysis and collective scientific and at the same time educational and informative discussion, curated by Formafantasma with the contribution of scholars and professionals from different research fields.

- Under the willow tree by Sara Ricciardi, in palazzo Litta (corso Magenta 24), an invitation to meditate and rediscover peace and oneself under the branches of a willow tree capable of producing acoustic vibrations through small metal bells which, in wind or the passage of people, they return a melody that seems like an ancestral call.