Origin of Simplicity: Japanese Design Exhibition at ADI Design Museum Milan

The exhibition 'Origin of Simplicity. 20, visions of Japanese Design' at ADI Design Museum in Milan explores the concept of simplicity in Japanese design through 150 original objects, some shown in Italy for the first time. Curated by Rossella Menegazzo, professor of East Asian Art History at the University of Milan, and designed by Japanese designer and curator Kenya Hara, the show presents twenty key concepts arranged around white wooden totems. Objects range from the 1954 Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanagi to the 2010 Tea Ceremony Chair by Hiroki Takada, and include the Ghost chair by Cini Boeri and Tomu Katayanagi (1987), the Coffee Table by Isamu Noguchi (1944), the Paper Waste Basket by Keiko Hirano, and the IN-EI lamp by Issey Miyake Design Studio + Reality Lab for Artemide (2012). The exhibition is supported by the Ishibashi Foundation of Tokyo and highlights the continuity between historical tea ceremony utensils and modern design, set against the industrial backdrop of the Compasso d'Oro Museum.