From revolutionary swimwear to solar-powered aesthetics and spiritual minimalism, five major exhibitions across Europe and the US invite design lovers to explore how objects, spaces, and ideas continue to shape the human experience across time.
© Salone del Mobile.Milano
"Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style" at London's Design Museum dives deep into the cultural currents of swimming. With over 200 items, the exhibition blends sport, architecture and fashion, from Zaha Hadid's London Aquatics Centre model to the LZR Racer swimsuit, banned for "technological doping". Highlights include "the first wheelchair-accessible beach hut built by ABIR Architects and Peter Lewis / AEREA Design in 2011". Visitors can "discover how design has shaped our relationship with water (and still does)". On display until 17 August 2025.
"Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art chronicles creativity in wartime. Through over 250 works, the exhibition showcases how innovation bloomed under duress. From the military functionality of Elsa Schiaparelli's pocketed jacket, "making it possible to leave home without a bag but taking a gas mask", to the invention of Tupperware's polyethylene, it's a tribute "for those who believe that beauty can still save the world". On view until 1 September 2025.
In Lausanne, "Soleil·s | Solar Biennale 2" at MUDAC explores the sun's role beyond energy. The exhibition blends art, politics, and environmentalism with creations by Òlafur Elìasson, Liam Young, and Andreas Gursky. Visitors encounter five key themes, "energy revitalisation, heliotropism, symbolic gravity, transitions and melody". As the curators explain, "specially designed apertures allow sunlight to pervade the interiors", evoking solar design's sensory and symbolic dimensions. Runs until 21 September 2025.
At the Vitra Design Museum, "The Shakers: A World in the Making" brings timeless simplicity into focus. Featuring 150 artefacts and curated by Formafantasma, it reflects the Shakers' blend of belief and utility. Curator Mea Hoffmann notes, "The Shakers offer a stimulus for today's design". The exhibition runs through 28 September 2025.
Finally, London's Tate Modern hosts "Do Ho Suh: The Genesis", a poetic meditation on space, identity, and migration. Known for his translucent fabric sculptures, Suh explores "the transportability of a building" through life-size textile architecture. "The space I'm interested in is not just physical, but also intangible, metaphorical and psychological," says Suh. Open until 19 October 2025.
Together, these exhibitions redefine design as a powerful, human narrative, where history, innovation, and imagination meet.
More information:
Salone del Mobile.Milano
www.salonemilano.it