On the occasion of Design Week 2026, the ADI Design Museum will come alive with exhibitions, installations, and talks. The program includes the exhibition of the 29th edition of the Compasso d’Oro, showcasing contemporary Italian design that transforms the world; a solo exhibition by Japanese designer Haruka Misawa; an installation by Mario Botta inspired by Le Corbusier; and projects by international designers.
April 20 – 26 / 10:30 AM – 9:00 PM

 

PROGRAM

Exhibitions:

XXIX Compasso d’Oro 2026
Exhibition of participants in the 29th edition of the historic Italian design award founded in 1954 from an idea by Gio Ponti. An opportunity to discover products, visions, and experiments that show how design interprets the present and imagines the future, expressing the evolution of society and its languages across production, technology, and everyday life.
Opening: April 15 | 6:00 PM

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bit by bit
by Haruka Misawa 
The first solo exhibition of the Japanese designer in Milan. Installations and experimental projects transform everyday materials and gestures into sensory experiences, inviting visitors to observe their surroundings with a new perspective.
April 21 – June 7

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Heritage Reimagined, SOBAN
by Seoul Design Foundation
An exhibition of objects exploring traditional Korean craftsmanship techniques—woodworking, lacquering, and mother-of-pearl inlay—in dialogue with advanced technologies and digital fabrication.
April 20 – May 10
Opening: April 20 | 4:00 PM

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Oluce, 80 Years of Light in Milan
by Francesco Rota
Eighty years of history celebrated through a visual narrative retracing the creative and cultural heritage of the historic company, looking at the past as a living material still capable of generating new perspectives.

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Design evolutivo, la forma della Meraviglia
by CHICCO
A narrative of the design process based on observing a child’s growth. An approach to evolutionary design that translates needs and relationships into solutions capable of adapting over time.

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Installations:

ICOSAEDRO
by Mario Botta
A wooden structure from Trentino that connects design, landscape, and community. Inspired by the Cabanon, Le Corbusier’s iconic shelter, the project presents a small dwelling designed to harmonize with the Alpine landscape, located in the museum’s front garden.
Project by the Autonomous Province of Trento, coordinated by Trentino Sviluppo

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GOOD DESIGN CITIES
by Massimiliano Mandarini
Imagining the city of the future as a human, sustainable, and biophilic space, where design and responsibility guide new forms of coexistence between people and nature.
Opening: April 21 | 4:00 PM

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Events:

Book Presentation | Jeong: The Spirit of Korean Craft and Design
by PHAIDON
An exploration of Korean design that, through works and objects, tells the story of the dialogue between cultural heritage and contemporaneity.
In conversation with the author Hyo Jung Lee
April 20 | 11:00 AM

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DBEW Design Award 2026
Award ceremony and round table for the international design prize promoting co-creation between students and professors, redefining design as an expression of collective intelligence.
With jury members: Paola Antonelli, John Thackara, Stefano Giovannoni, Angela Rui, Kazuhiro Yamanaka, and others
April 21 | 10:00 AM

Promoted by the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and the Archdiocese of Milan

10:45 AM | Trasformazioni silenziose – Guided tour of the historical Compasso d’Oro collection.
11:45 AM | Chiaro, scuro. Nuovi spazi di opportunità – Workshop on the concept of “negative space.”
2:45 PM | Klore, abitare il mistero dell’altro  – Performance followed by a final discussion.
3:00 PM | Frankenstein, un mistero nei corpi – Dialogue group on the body and transformation.
4:30 PM | Tra terreno e ultraterreno – Conversation with Vasco Brondi.
6:00 PM | Siamo tutti Origines, tutti individui con identità plurali – Screening of three short films by Amir Ra followed by a discussion.

Free admition

Two events at the museum focusing on 20th-century and contemporary musical research.

March 18, 7 PM | Mario Caroli
A flute recital featuring works by Claude Debussy, Toshio Hosokawa, André Jolivet, Kaija Saariaho, Nadir Vassena, Doina Rotaru, and Maria Eugenia Luc.

March 22, 5 PM | New MADE Ensemble
A performance dedicated to John Cage and Morton Feldman, key figures of postwar musical experimentation.