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Amid Impasto of Colors Exhibition
Color as Memory, Material, and Experience

On display at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT - March 14th to April 12th - “Amid Impasto of Colors – Overlapping Colors” takes visitors on an immersive experience that invites them to rediscover the power of color.

A seemingly simple element, color can actually evoke sensations, awaken memories, and speak directly to our sensibilities. The exhibition thus explores how colors shape our daily relationship with the world, transforming what we see into something we feel.

Photo @ Valentina Cannava

A veritable color archive gave rise to the HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE Spring/Summer 2026 collection, born from the discovery and cataloging of shades collected while traveling through cities.

The cities we live in are full of colors, often invisible precisely because they are familiar: the worn tones of facades, the nuances of markets, the variations of light on the sea. Colors that are never neutral, capable of telling multiple stories, from time to habits to people.

Photo @ Valentina Cannava

The exhibition space is defined by an aluminum beam structure, from which pleated fabrics - the brand's signature - drape lightly.

Here, forty-four shades selected from over two hundred create an intense and complex chromatic journey. Color is not decoration, but structure: it is condensed memory, the trace of lived experiences.

Photo @ Valentina Cannava

Photo @ Valentina Cannava

The research stems from fieldwork in Italy, where the design team collected hues directly from reality: weathered architectural surfaces, local markets, and ever-changing landscapes.

Surprising colors emerge, derived from the most diverse elements: from “Jambon Pink” inspired by prosciutto, to “Zucchini Yellow” which recalls the yellow of zucchini blossoms.

“Portofino” linked to the green of a gate overlooking a dock; “Trampolino Yellow” taken from the grate of a street manhole; “Manarola” which echoes the color of the bricks of the buildings; “Cinque Terre / Steel Yellow / Rock Green” inspired by local plaster; “Black Eggplant” which recalls the color of eggplant; “Pizza Dough Beige” which evokes the hue of pizza dough.

Fragments of reality that become design material.

Photo @ Valentina Cannava

Photo @ Valentina Cannava

Photo @ Valentina Cannava

Photo @ Valentina Cannava

Photo @ Valentina Cannava

One of the most interesting aspects of the exhibition is the process of creating color. The hues arise from successive layers of brushstrokes, introducing a temporal dimension that transcends simple matter.

This approach restores to the project a quality often absent in contemporary design: slowness. Italian cities, with their irregular surfaces and signs of wear, thus become a living archive, not to be replicated but interpreted.

The exhibition highlights how color influences our daily experience, not only as a visual element, but as an emotional and spatial component. Color guides the way we perceive environments, inhabit them, and remember them.

Photo @ Valentina Cannava

Photo @ Valentina Cannava

In an era dominated by digital images and standardized palettes, “Amid Impasto of Colors – Overlapping Colors” draws attention to a slower and more sensitive dimension of design, where color returns to being an experience.

The exhibition offers a clear reflection: that design arises from a continuous dialogue with reality, balancing process, perception, and memory.