Summer plans: the main design exhibitions in the world

Vacationing is much nicer if you can pass the time until dinner at a design exhibition. In this article we have collected the most fascinating ones for you – from the first major retrospective of the art of Houdini by a Dutch design artist Maarten Baas to the exhibition of Danish design, inspired by Japan.

A retrospective exhibition of Ron Arad

Vitra design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany

to 14 Oct

"Man of steel" Ron Arad has always been ahead of time: in the last century he was called the designer of the XXI century, in this century - of the XXII. And all thanks to the continuous experiments with materials, forms and technologies. It is to them that the designer owes his conceptual and even provocative work, which are often called objects of the future. The Vitra design Museum presents a retrospective exhibition of iconic design items of Arad "Ron Arad: Yes to the Uncommon!", from the famous bookshelf to a series of furniture made of bent and hardened steel.

The first solo exhibition of Maarten Baas

The Ghent design Museum, Ghent, Belgium

until 30 September

Baas is often called the Houdini of Dutch design – he always works on the edge between reason and emotions, between nature and culture, between freedom and restrictions. The first major retrospective exhibition of renowned Dutchman documents Baas's career 15 years in length. It is called "Hide & Seek", and it will show the maximum number of designer's works, from his famous canonical models of "Smoke" and "Clay" to more recent hits.

Exhibition of contemporary crafts

The Ghent design Museum, Ghent, Belgium

until 2 September

Under one roof with Baas, one can find the works of Max Lamb, Nendo, Ben Storms and Olivier van Herpt. They all illustrate the modern view of designers onto the craft, their innovative approaches to creativity and broad-mindedness. Items placed in the space of an old mansion are very different from each other, but taken together express a common idea: to revive crafts is possible and necessary, especially in today's technological world.

Exhibition of paper lamps of Isamu Noguchi

The Noguchi Museum, long island city, new York, USA

until 27 January

Exhibition is dedicated to the "Akari" folding paper lanterns by Isamu Noguchi. Since 1951, the Japanese sculptor has developed more than 200 models of these lamps, including the largest ever created, "Akari 200D", made specially for the Venice Biennale in 1986. Simultaneously, the museum hosts the exhibition "Akari Unfolded: A Collection by Ymer & Malta". There one can see 26 lamps inspired by "Akari" and created by French Studio Ymer & Malta, in partnership with Nendo, Sebastian Bergne and other designers.

Exhibition of light installations by Studio Drift

The Museum Stedeleyk, Amsterdam, Netherlands

until 26 August

Dutch designers from Studio Drift Lonneke, Gordijn and Ralph Nauta, work in the tech art genre - they merge natural processes with cutting-edge scientific developments. Their projects are always something between light sculpting, installation and performance, and it's always spectacular. Both Lonneke and Ralph are graduates of the Eindhoven Academy of Design, therefore, they base their work on concepts and ideas. To try and decipher, "what the authors wanted to say", one should visit the "Coded Nature" exhibition.

Furniture exhibition of Martin Szekely

The Museum of decorative arts and design, Bordeaux, France

until September 16

The first thing you should pay attention to is the new exhibition space. The exhibition takes place in the building of the former prison, which is now adjacent to the hotel, "Lalande". Exhibits are 40 items of collection design, created by Martin Szekely in the period between 1981 and 2018. The newest of them, the rack called "The Drawers and I", is exhibited to the broad public for the first time. All the items, in one way or another, raise the topic of construction, hence the name of the exhibition "Construction - Martin Szekely".

The light show by Daniel Rybakken

Museum in Helsinki, Finland

until 26 August

Last year the young Norwegian was awarded with an important design prize, the Torsten and Wanja Söderberg – it is awarded annually in Sweden to the most active designer or artisan of the North. Since 2014, the designer has been collaborating with the Artek brand, and their joint collection was presented at the Stockholm furniture fair in 2017. Rybakken's lamps create magical effects, simulate sunlight or give rise to a new experience of light – try them for yourself in the framework of the exhibition "Daniel Rybakken – Daylight and Objects".

Exhibition of Danish design, inspired by Japan

The Danish design Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark

until 8 October

Japan has always been an important source of inspiration for the Danish design, and today the connection between the two cultures is still strong. The exhibition "Learning from Japan" is a graphic illustration of this connection. The project is curated by Miriam Gelfer-Jorgensen, the author of "Influences from Japan in Danish Art and Design 1870-2010". For this exhibition, which is taking place for more than a year already and ends in October, it has collected 400 items: products by Danish designers and Japanese artisans. Many of them have never been exhibited in public.