Italian Design Day 2022, aimed at promoting Italian culture and exchange

"GRANDI AMICI DELL' ITALIA" (Great Italian Friends) is a place where what we learn, experience and inspire in Italy intersect and interact. A new video talk series in which great maestros from various fields talk about their personal relationship with Italy. In this edition, they say: 'Living in a house is not only a matter of convenience, but also a matter of the soul. For the house is the abode of the soul, and the soul is where God is." The two will be joined by Tadao Ando, one of the greatest masters of contemporary Japanese architecture.

And Toshiyuki Kita, a world-renowned product designer who has built a close and solid relationship with his Italian counterpart, like a brother.

Tadao Ando

The greatest master of contemporary Japanese architecture, born in Osaka in 1941. His interest in architecture began in his youth and he established the Tadao Ando Architectural Institute in 1969. Since then he has left an unmistakeable mark in his many masterpieces around the world and in his cement exteriors with their simple forms and austere Zen atmosphere and space. The awards and titles won by Tadao Ando are too numerous to mention. Among them are the Architectural Institute of Japan Award (1979), the Japan Art Academy Award (1993), the Pritzker Award (1995), the International Union of Architects (UIA) Gold Medal (2005), the John F. Kennedy Centre Arts Gold Award (2010), the Shinpei Goto Award (2010), the They include the Order of Culture (2010), the Isamu Noguchi Award (2016), the Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France (2013), the Grande Ufficiale of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2015) and the Legion of Honour (2021). Among his exhibitions, he is particularly remembered for his solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, New York (1991) and the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (1993). In Italy, he worked on the Fabbrica research centre for the Benetton Group (Villorba, Treviso), the Punta della Dogana contemporary art museum for the François Pinault Foundation (Venice) and the AB-house/Invisible House (Ponzano Veneto). He designed the Armani office and 'Teatro Armani' for Giorgio Armani (Milan). He also designed the flagship shop and showroom for Duvetica, also in Milan, and in 2021 was guest editor-in-chief of the famous Italian architecture and design magazine Domus.

Kita Toshiyuki

Born in Osaka in 1942, he opened his own design office in Osaka in 1967. One of the most outstanding Japanese product designers of international renown and versatility. Has collaborated with major corporate groups for many years and began working with Italy as early as 1969. Professor at Osaka University of Arts.
He has designed numerous products for Europe and Japan, ranging from furniture and home appliances, including the famous AQUOS LCD TV, to robots and household goods. Many of his works are in collections at museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. In 2011, he was awarded the Italian 'ADI Golden Compass Award' (International Award of Merit), and in 2017 he was decorated 'Commendatore of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy'.

About the Italian Cultural Institute Osaka

As an overseas agency of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, its main objectives are to promote Italian culture in Japan and to promote friendship and exchange between Italy and Japan. As part of its activities, it invites Italian artists to Japan and organises various cultural events such as concerts, exhibitions, film screenings and theatre performances.