One Hundred New Italian Designers in Hong Kong

The works and ideas of one hundred Italian designers under 35, selected from an open call to which nearly four hundred young designers responded, are the main characters of the exhibition Italy: A New Collective Landscape, which debuted in Italy at the ADI Design Museum in Milan from April to September 2023 and opens at the Hong Kong Design Center on 18 January 2024. It will be open until 19 May and is the first stop on an itinerary that will take it to various countries around the world.

The core of the exhibition is the projects, products, and new practices of designers engaged in meeting the challenges of our time: climate, social, and economic crises, and their effects on reality.

The curator of the exhibition, produced by ADI Design Museum, is Angela Rui, with Elisabetta Donati de Conti and Matilde Losi. The graphic design is by Alice Zani with Paola Bombelli, and the installation by Parasite 2.0 studio (Stefano Colombo, Eugenio Cosentino, Luca Marullo).

“The title of this exhibition may sound familiar,” Angela Rui explains. “It is a paraphrase of Italy: The New Domestic Landscape, the exhibition curated by Emilio Ambasz at MoMA in New York (1972), which brought Italian design to the world by making Italy the benchmark of the modern discipline par excellence. Exporting the idea of Italian Design through the work of (then) young designers made the fortune of an entire system, the echoes of which can still be heard today. But the exhibition wants to be a proposal to overcome the nostalgia that so ties design circles to that historical period because, perhaps, the creative response could once again inspire a productive and manufacturing fabric in search of change.”

Three sections of the exhibition, are dedicated to as many design virtues: in ‘Systemic Design’ we look at the set of relationships between necessary resources and achieved results that a project sets in motion, along with the promotion of inclusive, sustainable and circular models of development. In ‘Relational Design’ designing is understood as social practice and a tool to foster community and interdependence, human and non-human. Finally ‘Regenerative Design’ reflects on how production processes can positively affect the environment, with proposals that harmonize the needs of society with the integrity of nature.
The layout also includes areas for interaction with visitors (Play), in-depth study (Read) and entertainment (Watch) where the idea of collectivity extends to the active involvement of the public, transforming the exhibition into an inclusive and dynamic landscape.

More Information: adidesignmuseum.org/en/exhibit[…]ctive-landscape