ADI Design Museum at the Italy Pavilion of Expo 2025 Osaka Two Capsule Exhibitions on Italian Design: Innovation and Sport
On the occasion of Expo 2025 Osaka, ADI Design Museum presents two capsule exhibitions inside the Italy Pavilion, offering a reflection on the role of Italian design in complementary domains: on one side, innovation as the outcome of a layered design tradition; on the other, the relationship between design and the body in motion, explored through a selection of objects developed for sport and performance.
The Italian Design: Innovation
A Genealogy of Design Between Continuity and Transformation
This capsule presents a cross-sectional reading of innovation in Italian design, conceived not only as a technological outcome but as a cultural process that transcends languages and materials. The exhibition brings together objects from different eras, highlighting the results of some of the most exemplary design experiments of the 20th century.
Works such as Blu Ponti majolica tiles by Gio Ponti or the Marco vase by Sergio Asti express a modernity rooted in tradition, while more recent projects—such as the Anima lamp by Davide Groppi, the Farfallina chair by Álvaro Siza, the Thierry coffee tables by Piero Lissoni, and the 647 Leggera Outdoor chair—show that innovation continues to be understood as a balance between form, technology, and user context.
The exhibition also includes devices that expand the scope of design into the realm of technology and data interaction: among them, the Mindtooth Touch system, Linea home automation devices by Vimar, and Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses—each exemplifying the seamless integration of design and connectivity.
Alongside these are emblematic projects noted for redefining aesthetics and sustainability, including the modular Isy22 faucets by Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez, the JuiceBox EV charging station by Enel X, the Nuovo Milano cutlery by Ettore Sottsass, and the iconic Anna G. corkscrew by Alessandro Mendini.
The Italian Design: Sport
Design and Athletic Gesture
The second capsule exhibition, Sport, is dedicated to the relationship between design and athletic practice, conceived in anticipation of the upcoming Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The exhibition explores design as a tool that supports and shapes bodily movement—transforming technical needs into high-performance objects.
Featured items include the FISI EA7 Emporio Armani racing suit (2024), developed for the Italian alpine ski team, which combines ergonomic design with breathability and durability; the R001 Sofia Goggia helmet, Ergotek Pro mittens, and HP Horizon goggles by Dainese, all engineered for maximum safety and control in complex environments.
The Dobermann 5 ski boot and Dobermann GSR DC FDT skis by Nordica (2022) exemplify advanced solutions for slalom skiing, while the iconic Moon Boot—a 1970s design inspired by space suits—highlights how sports design can acquire symbolic and cultural significance.
The selection extends to figure skating with the Royal Prime boots by Risport (2011), and to climbing with the Twin Gate carabiner by Grivel (2013), featuring a dual-gate mechanism for enhanced safety. The exhibition concludes with *Silver Surfer* by Piero Lissoni (2025), a contemporary sled that reinterprets speed and landscape with minimalist elegance.
Together, these projects demonstrate how design in sport operates on multiple levels—ergonomic, technical, and semantic. The athletic gesture is thus interpreted not merely as physical performance, but as a cultural expression in which design serves as a mediator between the body, the environment, and new technological frontiers.
The Compasso d’Oro International Award
Design as a Form of Shared Knowledge
Many of the objects featured in both exhibitions have been awarded the Compasso d’Oro, a prestigious international design prize established in 1954 from an idea by Gio Ponti. In September 2025, the Italy Pavilion at Expo will host the Compasso d’Oro International Award ceremony—an international edition of the prize, open to projects and designers from around the world.
The two exhibitions, The Italian Design: Innovation and Sport, together offer a comprehensive portrait of contemporary Italian design—not as a stylistic exercise, but as a reflective practice capable of generating enduring value. In this context, design is understood as a cultural device that traverses industries, applications, and collective imaginaries, while maintaining a strong connection to the responsibility inherent in design thinking.
More Information: adidesignmuseum.org
compassodorointernational.com/
Last updated: 14/07/25