Milan-Hong Kong Design
New Forms And Functions In Parallel With Italian Iconic Works

Message

I wish to express my sincere congratulations to the Italian Cultural Institute in Hong Kong and their partners for the launching of the platform “Design Made in Hong Kong 2020-2021”.

The project – a bridge between Milan and Hong Kong in the name of design – brings together Italian experts and Hong Kong students to develop new concepts of design.
The exhibition “Milan-Hong Kong Design” displays the output of such teamwork in a virtual dialogue with masters of Italian design such as Ettore Sottsass, Michele De Lucchi, Matteo Thun, Marco Zanini, Aldo Cibic and Gaetano Pesce.

Italy is proud to support young Hong Kong designers in the first steps of their careers. “Design Made in Hong Kong 2020-2021” will give students the unique opportunity to present their creations to the Milan Design Week (Salone del Mobile), the largest and most influential design fair in the world.

Design is a global language. We look forward to further strengthening the exchanges between Italian and Hong Kong experts, schools and creative industries.

Clemente Contestabile
Consul General of Italy in Hong Kong

Foreword

The exhibition “Milan – Hong Kong Design, new forms and functions in parallel with Italian Iconic works” is one of the final stages of the “Design Made in Hong Kong” project, which involves some of the most innovative young protagonists of the design world from two cities, sharing their culture’s international character and great dynamism.

Towards the end of 2019, having just arrived in Hong Kong as the Head of the Italian Cultural Institute, I tried to realize here a collaboration project in the design sector that I had recently curated in Osaka, with the collaboration of the Asian Studies Group and the Superstudio Group (milanogenius. com).

Thanks to the collaboration with the architect Santina Bonini and the involvement of three important universities (Hong Kong Design Institute; School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; and Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University), the project has begun to take on new characteristics, becoming more focused on the dialogue between professional designers and the active participation of university students.

The extension of the collaborators’ network with the inclusion of the “5Vie” association and the Mr.Lawrence Design Consultancy Studio has made it possible to define three particularly significant research areas, I dare say, for the future of the design.

What will be the shape of the objects that will allow us to interact in increasingly densely populated cities? What materials will be used for a sustainable economy? What will be the aesthetics that will inspire the designers in the future?

The numerous webinars held by three young well-established Italian designers (Sara Ricciardi, Federica Biasi and Federico Peri) presented the ideal environment for a dialogue that, in some cases, gave rise to original ideas.

The current exhibition, curated by Annalisa Rosso, clearly expresses the three souls of the project: the projects of the universities, the latest Italian proposals and the examples of the great masters of Italian design.

The latter section’s preparation would not have been possible without the advice and generosity of William Figliola, owner of the galleries in Milan and Hong Kong.
The final phase of the project, coordinated by the “5Vie” association, is expected to occur in Milan, with an exhibition of the projects of the Universities of Hong Kong, during the International Furniture Fair, scheduled for September 2021.

Hosted at the “SIAM 1838”, an elegant heritage building in the heart of Milan, this exhibition will certainly be an important opportunity to deepen the comparison with the most advanced protagonists of the world of international design.

In conclusion, I would like to thank all those who have actively participated in this project, especially its young protagonists, the university students, who I hope have found an opportunity for cultural growth and the desire to deepen their knowledge of Italy.

Stefano Fossati
Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Hong Kong