Material as a Design Element

The theme of the upcoming Salone del Mobile focuses on material as a central element of design.

Not as a surface or a finish, but as a presence.

This is the same research that has guided my work for years in creating sensory, material-driven artworks.

Material defines depth, rhythm and the perception of space.

The material I work with has substance. It extends beyond the surface, creates its own shadows, interacts with light and transforms the way an environment is perceived.

Material does not simply fit into a project; it becomes part of it, developed in relation to the proportions, palette and atmosphere of the space.

The Apartment by Artemest at Milan Design Week

I am pleased to share that this material interpretation has led to the selection of one of my artworks within the project dedicated to the Grand Tour, conceived by Saudi architect Urjowan Alsharif at Palazzo Donizetti for The Apartment by Artemest during Milan Design Week 2026.

The artwork is displayed in the room dedicated to Florence: a material dialogue between architecture, memory and contemporary light.

The selected work belongs to the Ancient Echoes series, an ongoing exploration of the material heritage of places and their continuity through time.

It reflects a vision deeply connected to Italian culture, which has long been a source of inspiration and reference—first through the journeys of the Grand Tour, and today through a renewed sensitivity towards memory, architecture and landscape.

From this perspective, the material artwork reveals itself as both trace and presence, engaging in a direct dialogue with space and history.