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Must-see Shows in Europe in February

This February, museums, institutions, and galleries across Europe are hosting events and exhibitions that provide great opportunities to explore the latest in design practice. The design agenda is always full, thanks to numerous fairs and design weeks, yet exhibitions offer a unique space where speculative and experimental work takes center stage. These explorations often influence more practical projects later on, advancing the discipline in unexpected ways. Eleonora Matteazzi, a writer specialising in Italian and European design, introduces some must-see shows that may be particularly valuable for designers, producers, and artists traveling to the Old Continent.

.Image courtesy of Design Biennale Rotterdam

What’s Real is Unfamiliar - Design Biennale Rotterdam

The highly anticipated first edition of the Design Biennale Rotterdam launches in a city known for its bold approach to design research. Home to leading European studios like Sabine Marcelis, Chris Kabel, and Anna Aagaard Jensen, Rotterdam sets the perfect stage for this ten-day event running from February 20 to March 10, 2024. The biennale positions itself as a destination for fresh perspectives and emerging voices at the forefront of design research. This city-wide event will feature exhibitions in established institutions like Nieuwe Instituut alongside unexpected venues, making it the place to experience the future of design.

Science Fiction Design From Space Age to Metaverse at Vitra Design Museum

Image courtesy of Vitra Design museum

Designed by artist Andrés Reisinger, renowned for his futuristic aesthetics informed by AI and digital image manipulation, this immersive display highlights how science fiction has shaped real-world design and vice versa. Hosted at the archistar-designed Vitra Schaudepot, Science Fiction Design: From Space Age to Metaverse explores how futuristic imaginaries have influenced everything from furniture to digital environments. Featuring over 100 objects, the exhibition traces design’s evolving relationship with science fiction, from early 20th-century visions to the Space Age of the 1960s and ’70s, leading up to today’s metaverse. With references to pop culture classics such as Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Blade Runner, the exhibition shows how speculative storytelling translates into tangible design.

Forme Mobili at Triennale Milano

Image courtesy of Triennale Milano

Triennale Milano, one of the most influential Italian institutions for design and architecture, presents Forme Mobili, an exhibition exploring movement as a design principle. This is a rare opportunity to see design classics from the museum’s collection, organized thematically across ten sections to highlight the relationships between body and silhouette, gesture and structure. The exhibition features, among many others, iconic works by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Carlo and Tobia Scarpa, Gae Aulenti, and Superstudio, among many others, offering a fresh perspective on their enduring influence. The dialogue is shaped by thematic areas such as fashion, which is paired with design objects through shared forms and materials; nautical design, showcasing innovative boat models and drawings; and illustration, celebrating visual storytelling in magazines and newspapers. Forme Mobili is a great chance to experience the great masters of Italian design, framed within a dynamic and insightful narrative.

Maarten Baas – Crescendo! at Ron Mandos Gallery, Amsterdam

Image courtesy of Galerie Ron Mandos

The Crescendo! exhibition at Ron Mandos Gallery in Amsterdam marks a shift for renowned Dutch designer Maarten Baas. Known for blending art and design, Baas moves beyond functionality, presenting works tailored for the art world while maintaining his signature irony and layered meanings. The centrepiece features suspended pianos, their legs barely touching the floor, alongside flattened, vacuum-sealed trumpets and clarinets. A dialogue unfolds between these objects and Variations in E Minor, an installation where orchestral instruments are compressed into circular scrap-like forms. The whole show is structured to be an ironic reflection on latent potential, expectation, and artistic limitations. For further exploration, the last room of the gallery includes a mini retrospective of some of Baas’s classic pieces from Clay, Close Parity, and Smoke, his best known series.

Eleonora Matteazzi

She studies design with a particular focus on how historical influences shape contemporary aesthetics.
Website: ARCHIVEofOBJECTS.net