This year marks the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Italy. Diplomatic relations are more than just a connection, but a history of the two countries’ cultures exchanging influences and creating values. To commemorate the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Italy in April 2024, the Oriental Culture and Design Center (OCDC) and the ADI Design Museum in Milan, in collaboration with the embassies of both countries, are organizing the 2024 DBEW exhibition.
The exhibition, which is presented by the ADI Design Museum with the prestigious Compasso D’Oro award, will be on display at the ADI Design Museum from April 16 to May 5, including the Salone del Mobile International Furniture Design Fair and Milan Design Week. Under DBEW’s direction, ‘Design Beyond East and West’, this year’s theme is ‘Ottchil Furniture and Design’.
The exhibition is designed to showcase the application of Ottchil, a world-class traditional cultural technology, to everyday functional furniture to realize a sustainable future that fits the characteristics of our living culture and spread the value of contemporary living design that transcends time and space. Organized by the OCDC, the entire process of collaborating with designers and craft masters aims to present a new way of design collaboration and showcase Ottchil as a sustainable material for modern furniture functions and Korean aesthetics as a design that transcends East and West.
The exhibition pays homage to Alessandro Mendini, a world-renowned Italian designer who has collaborated with and contributed to the Korean design industry and organizations for over 20 years, and Stefano Giovannoni, who has collaborated with the Korean design industry and many design exhibitions such as the Gwangju Design Biennale, will present lacquer furniture in a new collaboration with the OCDC.
The exhibition is co-organized by the OCDC, ADI Design Museum, and Gwangju Design Biennale, with the collaboration of the Embassies of Italy and Korea, the Italian Cultural Institute in Korea, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and is supported by Hanjin Logistics Corporation, Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd., and Fursys Inc.
