salone del mobile 2025 unveils milan installations by sou fujimoto

Site-specific installations at salone del mobile 2025

Salone del Mobile 2025 in Milan introduces installations and pavilions by Sou Fujimoto, Paolo Sorrentino and more. Running between April 8th and 13th at Fiera Milano in Rho and around the city, the annual event taps four designers for the curation of site-specific installations and temporary spaces. Italian film director and writer Paolo Sorrentino brings La dolce attesa to the entrance of pavilions 22 and 24 of the fair. He collaborates with set designer Margherita Palli for the artwork, which, he says, is a project installation depicting a ‘metaphor for living.’

The French interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon assembles Villa Héritage in a new exhibition route in pavilions 13 and 15 of the fair. He designs it in the shape of a square, a gathering place. It has design and art objects in the shared area, with several divided rooms. The ‘white room’ uses light as a cinematic projection. The ‘winter garden’ reminisces about Italian landscapes with a bright green setting. The ‘red salon’ evokes the look and theatricality of Italian opera. The plum-colored ‘library’ pays tribute to literature. At the center of the Salone del Mobile 2025 installation, there’s a patio with an Alpange piano, the designer’s dedication to music.

all images courtesy of Salone del Mobile unless stated otherwise

Sou fujimoto and robert wilson’s installative projects

Outside the Salone del Mobile 2025 fair, the site-specific installations and temporary pavilions continue. It is Robert Wilson who opens the annual fair with a light, art, and sound project at once at the Museo Pietà Rondanini in Castello Sforzesco. It’s the first installation to open to the public, which is on April 6th, as a bridge from the Milano Art Week, which then closes on May 18th, 2025. Titled ‘Mother’, the American theatre director and playwright collaborates with Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. It is a 30-minute sequence of music, light and images using Stabat Mater, a medieval prayer to the Virgin Mary. The music plays in the vocal and instrumental version by Arvo Pärt, while the staging and lighting around Michelangelo’s masterpiece is by Robert Wilson.

Then comes Sou Fujimoto’s arena for the first edition of Euroluce International Lighting Forum. Running between April 10th and 11th, coinciding with Salone del Mobile 2025, the Japanese architect creates The Forest of Space Arena, which the event uses for the masterclasses, round table discussions, and workshops. Sou Fujimoto arranges natural pine beams in vertical positions for the arena. The design draws inspiration from the layering found in forests and the wilds. The space attempts to evoke biophilic design in modular architecture. In other words, Sou Fujimoto describes it as a mobile amphitheater, which users can assemble and disassemble after the events.

Salone del Mobile 2025 hosts its press conference at Piccolo Teatro Strehler

Thought for humans as communication campaign

In other news, there are more than 2,000 exhibitors from 37 countries during the Salone del Mobile 2025. Based on the numbers provided by the organizers, 38 percent of the exhibitors are international creatives. There are 148 brands presenting, including first-timers and returnees, across 169,000 square meters of exhibition spaces. The Eurolice Biennial returns this year, as well, following the success of the 2023 edition of the City of Lights. For the event, there are over 300 brands from 25 countries showcasing projects.

SaloneSatellite brings over 700 designers under 35 during Salone del Mobile 2025, alongside projects from 20 international schools and universities. For this edition, the annual fair focuses on Thought for Humans as the communication campaign. Devised by Dentsu Creative Italy, the campaign taps photographer Bill Durgin for the imagery, which shows how light, wood, metal, fabric, and bioplastic blend with human skin. It’s an attempt to reinterpret the body, an innovative choice for the Salone del Mobile 2025. The fair runs between April 8th and 13th.

Design Kiosk during Salone del Mobile.Milano 2024