Transforming (and Transforming) to Survive. Interview with sculptor and designer Tadeáš Podracký

Trasformarsi (e trasformare) per sopravvivere. Intervista allo scultore e designer Tadeáš Podracký

Czech sculptor and designer Tadeáš Podracký (b. 1989) presents new works during Milan Design Week 2026, including three carved wooden lamps and sculptures exploring hybridity. The pieces are inspired by the rare Sorbus sudetica tree, a hybrid species that has survived for nearly 20,000 years through asexual reproduction. The exhibition, titled "Before the Shape Appears," is produced by 5 Vie and hosted at Cavallerizze in Via Olona. Podracký's practice bridges fine art and collectible design, using techniques such as carving, waxing, patination, and pigment infusion to create objects that appear to have grown organically.

Red Sea Museum Hosts Contemporary Art Exhibition to Showcase Marine Biodiversity

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), an Aramco initiative, is participating in Milan Design Week 2026 (April 20-26) by presenting the exhibition “Default is Not Universal” at the Isola Design Festival. The exhibition features works by eight designers from the Middle East and North Africa, including seven interactive stations that use artificial intelligence to collect visitor data and map cognitive patterns shaped by cultural influences. After its debut in Milan, the exhibition will travel to Saudi Arabia as the anchor international exhibition of Ithra Design Week later this year.

The Animals We Are. The New Metamorphosis of the Apartment-Showroom Casaornella in Milan

Gli animali che siamo. La nuova metamorfosi dell’appartamento-showroom Casaornella a Milano

Interior designer Maria Vittoria Paggini has unveiled the 2026 edition of Casaornella, her apartment-showroom in Milan's Via Conca del Naviglio 10, during Design Week. Titled "L'animale sociale" (The Social Animal) with the subtitle "Nessuno mi può giudicare" (Nobody Can Judge Me), the space is completely restructured each year. For this edition, Paggini removed all doors to create a fluid, open-plan layout, using curtains for privacy. The project explores themes of authenticity and human relationships in the digital age, inspired by Italian pop songs from Mina to Luigi Tenco, which form the exhibition's soundtrack.

Immersive Room-Sized Exhibit Environments

Spazio Viruly is presenting the exhibition 'UNBOXING: A Room as Instrument' at Superattico in Milan during Milan Design Week. The installation, created by designers Matthijs Koerts and Merijn Haenen, deconstructs everyday devices to reveal core elements like energy and sound, then rebuilds them into immersive, room-sized environments. The experience is enhanced with live dance performances by Eleonora Cattaneo and custom soundscapes.

The Best New Discoveries of Milan Art Week 2026

Milan Art Week 2026 featured a constellation of fairs including the main regional fair miart, the independent MEGA Art Fair, and the new Milan edition of Paris Internationale. Observers noted the week felt somewhat muted due to the imminent arrival of the globally dominant Milan Design Week, but identified strong presentations from galleries like Ehrlich Steinberg, which showcased Japanese artist Eni Mizukami, and eastcontemporary, which highlighted Eastern European artists Ania Bąk and Natália Trejbalová.

In Milan Design Week, in a garden, emerging designers can exhibit for free. "We received almost 100 applications to the call"

Nella Milano della Design Week in un giardino i designer emergenti possono esporre gratis. “Abbiamo ricevuto quasi 100 richieste alla call”

During Milan Design Week, the venue enoteca/naturale launched the initiative "Entra pure," offering its garden and interior space for free to emerging designers under 35. The open call received nearly 100 applications, with eight selected projects being displayed and utilized within the space from April 21-26, providing an alternative platform during the city's major design event.

From the Aral Sea to Milan: Uzbekistan tells its story between craftsmanship and climate crisis

Dal Mar d’Aral a Milano: l’Uzbekistan si racconta tra artigianato e crisi climatica

Uzbekistan made its official debut at the Milan Design Week with the exhibition 'When Apricots Blossom' at Palazzo Citterio. Curated by Kulapat Yantrasast and promoted by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, the immersive show presents contemporary reinterpretations of Uzbek craft, organized around three pillars of Karakalpak culture: textiles, food, and dwelling. It features installations by international designers like Bethan Laura Wood and a deconstructed yurt by WHY Architecture.

A free campsite for students at Design Week. IED sets it up at the Ex Macello in Milan

Un campeggio gratuito per studenti alla Design Week. Lo allestisce IED all’Ex Macello di Milano

IED (Istituto Europeo di Design) and the Fondazione Francesco Morelli have set up a free urban campsite, The Glitch Camp, at the Ex Macello in Milan to host 300 international design students during Milan Design Week. The camp, created in partnership with IKEA, provides accommodation, communal spaces, workshops, and social events, aiming to make the prestigious event more accessible.

Salone Diary – Day One

Diario del Salone – Tag eins

The author begins a daily diary from the Milan Design Week, navigating the sprawling Fuorisalone exhibitions that run parallel to the Salone del Mobile furniture fair. The overwhelming experience prompts a search for genuine innovation amid a sea of installations merging fashion, art, and design, leading to the first lesson of the week: accepting the inevitability of missing out on some events.

Architecture Art Exhibitions

An exhibition titled 'The Eames Houses' opened at Triennale Milano during Milan Design Week 2026. It offers a comprehensive look at the residential architecture of Charles and Ray Eames, featuring scale models of eight house projects, archival materials, and two full-scale pavilion structures built using a modular system developed with Kettal. The show runs from April 20 to May 10 and is accompanied by a newly published volume on the Eames' residential work.

Three things the Fuorisalone should do (and doesn't) to improve the quality of life in Milan

Tre cose che il Fuorisalone dovrebbe fare (e non fa) per migliorare la qualità della vita di Milano

The 2026 Milan Design Week, coinciding with the Salone del Mobile, has officially begun, bringing over 1,850 events to the city. The launch included a special breakfast-barter event in Piazza Duomo with artist Maurizio Cattelan and journalist Nicolas Ballario, kicking off a week expected to draw 300,000 visitors.

In Milan during these days of Design Week, it is possible to visit the mythical Villa Pestarini by Franco Albini. The images

A Milano in questi giorni di Design Week è possibile visitare la mitica Villa Pestarini di Franco Albini. Le immagini

Villa Pestarini, the only private residence ever designed by the renowned Italian architect and designer Franco Albini, has opened to the public for the first time in 87 years. The opening is an exceptional event timed with the 2026 Milan Design Week, where the villa serves as one of the venues for the itinerant design platform Alcova.