Milan Design Week 2022: Top and Flop Highlights
The 2022 Salone del Mobile returned to pre-Covid scale, with the Fuorisalone expanding citywide. Sabine Marcelis and OMA created stunning marble pieces for SolidNature at Alcova's Offcut Bar. Isola Design District showcased young designers and research, including Robot Shit Exhibition highlighting 3D printing waste. Design Academy Eindhoven celebrated 75 years with an intergenerational graduation show at an ex-bakery. Ex-industrial spaces like Alcova at Baggio's former military hospital and Zaventem Ateliers at Baranzate's Necchi factory captivated visitors. Sustainability was integrated into processes, exemplified by Tom Dixon's 20-year retrospective at Palazzo Serbelloni featuring recycled polycarbonate. Flops included Zona Tortona's identity crisis and Milan's unaffordable housing during the fair, critiqued by Alvar Aaltissimo's Nolli Salone map. Some installations were deemed culturally empty.
Key facts
- Sabine Marcelis and OMA created unique marble pieces for SolidNature at Alcova.
- Isola Design District focused on young designers and research design.
- Robot Shit Exhibition addressed 3D printing waste.
- Design Academy Eindhoven held an intergenerational graduation show for its 75th anniversary.
- Alcova was held at the former military hospital in Baggio.
- Zaventem Ateliers revived the abandoned Necchi factory in Baranzate.
- Tom Dixon's exhibition at Palazzo Serbelloni featured recycled polycarbonate.
- Alvar Aaltissimo's Nolli Salone map highlighted rental price spikes during the fair.
Entities
Artists
- Sabine Marcelis
- Rem Koolhaas
- Davide Fabio Colaci
- Adolf Loos
- Antonio Scarponi
- Formafantasma
- Eric Klarenbeek
- Maartje Dros
- Tom Dixon
- Alvar Aaltissimo
Institutions
- SolidNature
- Alcova
- OMA
- Isola Design District
- Design Academy Eindhoven
- Zaventem Ateliers
- Flos
- BASE
- ISIA di Firenze
- Tortona Rocks
- KoozArch
- AbitareCo
- Corriere della Sera
- Artribune
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- Alcova
- Baranzate
- Vienna
- Austria
- Palazzo Serbelloni
- Zona Tortona
- Caserma XXIV Maggio
- Fabbrica Orobia
- Arci Bellezza