After the enforced break, SaloneSatellite is making its comeback with its 23rd edition from June 7 to June 12, 2022, at Rho Fairgrounds, Pavilions 1-3. Geared to an inclusive and welcoming society, in which the design of the younger generations is increasingly at the forefront, the event is devoted to the under 35s.
Some 600 promising young design talents will bring the 23rd edition of SaloneSatellite alive. A jewel in Salone’s crown, SaloneSatellite will be tasked with welcoming the public to the fairgrounds. The overarching theme is Designing For Our Future Selves / Progettare Per I Nostri Domani, with a particular focus on sustainability. This is a message that the trade fair is keen to get across, with the benefits of design expanded to take in the demands for autonomy and inclusion of society as a whole and the needs of every single age bracket and ability.
The themes will be echoed by the graphics and general set-up of the pavilions, both entirely new, promising sensory explorations and turning SaloneSatellite into a welcoming design citadel. Visitors’ flow will gravitate around two great central squares linked to other hubs devoted to conviviality and interface. Rounding things off, two Conversations/Talks exploring the themes further will be held in the SaloneSatellite Arena.
Along with the sectoral schools and universities, a great many of which are again taking part in this edition, the participating designers hail from 48 different countries, five of which – Cyprus, Congo, Cuba, Nigeria and Qatar – are new entries to SaloneSatellite. This is a testament to the special powers of attraction and networking opportunities that have always distinguished what is regarded as the leading springboard for emerging talents on the international design scene.
The designers will include the winners of the 2019 international editions of SaloneSatellite, whose prizes include free participation in the Milan event. They will also include the five winners and two special mention holders from the Best of Class 2020/2021 Award at The Lost Graduation Show at supersalone.
As always, a selection committee has assessed and selected the designers taking part in the event. Figures from the design world in the round have followed on from each other, carefully examining the design approaches and expressive styles of every single contender. This time, Marva Griffin, SaloneSatellite Founder and Curator, was joined by Giovanni Anzani, CEO of Poliform, Jean Blanchaert, Milan-based critic and gallerist, Giulio Cappellini, architect, entrepreneur and talent scout, Paola Carimati, Editor of Elle Decor, Albino Celato, CEO of De Castelli and Susanna Legrenzi, founder of the integrated communication agency of the same name. They were joined by several regulars such as Beppe Finessi, architect, critic and professor at the Polytechnic University of Milan and curator of the exhibitions celebrating the 10th and the 20th anniversaries of the trade fair, the architect Ricardo Bello Dias, curator of the SaloneSatellite displays right from the start, Patrizia Malfatti, International Press Office Coordinator at the Salone del Mobile.Milano and Porzia Bergamasco, curator of the SaloneSatellite Award.
The SaloneSatellite Award will be back for its 11th edition – its jury chaired from the opening edition onwards by Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator, Architecture and Design Director, Research and Development, MoMA – presented for the three best projects amongst those put forward by the designers themselves and showcased in a single, collective exhibition, useful for navigating their personal spaces.
The partnership with the Michelangelo Foundation for Homo Faber: Crafting a More Human Future. 2022: Living Treasures of Europe and Japan makes for an entirely new venture, in the form of invitations to designers taking part in SaloneSatellite 2022 to visit the large, structured exhibition split between the Giorgio Cini Foundation on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore and the city of Venice. Two of the sections have been curated by three now well-known designers who made their debuts at SaloneSatellite: Sebastian Herkner (Pattern of Crafts), who took part from 2009 to 2011, and the Zanellato/Bortotto duo (authors of the installation Tracing Venice), who first took part in 2013. The June event will also mark the enlargement of the SaloneSatellite Permanent Collection.
Image credits: Ludovica Mangini for Salone del Mobile.Milano