SaloneSatellite celebrates 25 years of connecting talents, cultures, and projects

The 25th edition of SaloneSatellite, the most influential event in the realm of young design, will take place in Pavilions 5-7 at Rho Fiera Milano from April 16th to 21st, providing an opportunity for interaction and discussion among young talents and leading Italian and foreign companies who see the event as a unique opportunity to glimpse into the development of future design.

Back in 1988, Salone del Mobile, expanding into the new Portello pavilions, occupied the entire area of the Fiera Milano fairground, adding Pavilion 9 with a direct opening to the public. It was designed as additional space for trade fair events but particularly as a new venture: SaloneSatellite, a new space created to host 65 young exhibitors from around the world and a group of international design schools. As the catalogue for the first edition states: "We launched SaloneSatellite because we believe in young people and in the future that they represent. Design, inherently avant-garde, was in need of references and meeting places. Where could be more suitable for communicating young design than the Salone Internazionale del Mobile?"

This visionary statement of intent remains valid today, on the 25th anniversary of the SaloneSatellite event, with an edition that brings together around 600 participants from 37 different countries and 22 international design schools and universities from 13 different countries. For the first time, institutions such as Prince Sultan University in Saudi Arabia, Belgrade Business School and the Academy of Applied Arts Studies in Serbia, Michael Graves College in the United States, and Xi'An Jiaotong-Liverpool University in China will be represented. There will also be an unprecedented collaboration between Cometa in Como and CMQ - the French Campus des Metiers et Qualification - on a project to be launched at SaloneSatellite 2024 itself, hosted for this edition in Pavilions 5-7 at Rho Fiera Milano.

"Incredible, 25 years!" exclaimed Marva Griffin Wilshire, Founder and Curator of the SaloneSatellite event. "It seems like just yesterday that after our discussions about young designers, Mantia Armellini - then CEO of Cosmit, (Comitato Organizzatore del Salone del Mobile Italiano), the organizing committee of the Milan Furniture Fair - tasked me with organizing an event dedicated to them, within the furniture fair." Since then, this closeness with entrepreneurs from leading companies gathered at the Milan Furniture Fair has sealed fruitful collaborations, setting dozens of young designers on their professional paths towards international recognition.

An exhibition at Triennale Milano will present the story of this source of connections and discoveries. The exhibition will be curated by two professionals who have already celebrated both the 10th anniversary (with the exhibition Avverati - A Dream Come True, Rho Fiera Milano, 2007) and the 20th (SaloneSatellite 20 Years of New Creativity, Fabbrica del Vapore, 2017) with Marva Griffin Wilshire. Beppe Finessi, curator, and Ricardo Bello Dias, with his studio, have designed the exhibition installations since the now legendary first edition. This edition will open on April 16th and run until April 28th, a week longer than the Milan Furniture Fair itself.

As always, the SaloneSatellite Award will return, now in its 13th edition, to reward and encourage the most deserving designers. The jury of industry experts, chaired as always by Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design at MoMA (New York), will evaluate the competitive projects of the 2024 exhibitors, showcased in an exhibition within Pavilions 5-7. Their names will be announced during the ceremony scheduled for the early afternoon of Wednesday, April 17th.

As part of a completely revamped setup, thanks to the collaboration with the Teckell brand, a ping-pong play area will also be created for a match between former SaloneSatellite designers and the latest participants. Who will emerge victorious?