Challenging Perception – Tom Dixon and Gufram at Salone del Mobile

This year, Salone del Mobile celebrated its 60th anniversary at Milan Design Week. Marking milestones of their own, Tom Dixon and Gufram’s respective exhibitions TWENTY and CACTUSRAMA injected moments of colour and imagination into the beloved furniture fair.

Captivating the global market of furniture and design since 1961, the Salone Internazionale del Mobile finally returned after two years of setbacks. Set across hundreds of venues within Milan’s design districts, the furniture and design fair invited guests from across the globe to delve deep into the exciting world of design once more. Contributing to this excitement with their own flair of artistic energy was an array of awe-inspiring creators, including Tom Dixon – a self-taught British designer, whose prominence has established his brand as a household name – and Gufram – an Italian interior design brand known for radical creations and nonconformist experimentation.

Marking milestones of their own, Tom Dixon and Gufram’s respective exhibitions TWENTY and CACTUSRAMA injected moments of colour and imagination into the beloved furniture fair.

Celebrating 20 years of design, Tom Dixon presented TWENTY – a curated selection of past and new designs. Provoking an atmosphere of silence, the Mirror Ball Chandelier was positioned at the centre of the exhibition, inspiring guests to take a moment of self-reflection. “We have been challenging ourselves and our factories to reduce our impact on the environment,” Tom explains. “So, this monumental vertical chandelier will be the first to display one of our oldest designs in a 100 per cent recycled polycarbonate.” Guests also found their sense of smell take charge as they made their way through the exhibition, seeing Mycelium sculptures encourage visitors to re-evaluate the future of design using their sense of smell. “Mycelium, also known as mushrooms, are a very fashionable material that everybody is looking into,” Tom says. “We wanted to demonstrate it in a more permanent use and have created these ‘Scent Columns’.” Reinforcing his impact on the industry, TWENTY explores innovative ways that furniture and lighting can be produced for the future, challenging preconceived notions behind purpose and material.

Nearby at the Triennale di Milano, visitors were given the chance to experience colour and uniqueness in CACTUS by Gufram. Marking 50 years since the iconic sculpture challenged how art was perceived, Gufram’s exhibit CACTUSRAMA showcased 12 editions set upon their own unique stages. This included limited versions of CACTUS in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation of Visual Arts. “The Foundation is delighted to collaborate on this unique project, which celebrates Warhol’s continued influence on contemporary culture,” explains Michael Dayton Hermann, Director of Licensing and Sales at The Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts, Inc. Each CACTUS is hand sculpted and finished with character, meaning each limited-run piece feels distinctly bespoke. “Gufram’s unique creative vision unexpectedly transformed Warhol’s iconic silkscreen technique into three dimensions.” Crafted from the original 1972 mould with vivid colours, the ANDY’S BLUE CACTUS, ANDY’S PINK CACTUS and ANDY’S YELLOW CACTUS sculptures continue to challenge how art is experienced.

Available in Australia through Living Edge, Tom Dixon and Gufram’s work continues to inspire both radical design and innovative thinking, pushing the boundaries of product potential.

Travelling from all over the globe, design enthusiasts were able to experience Milan Design Week unlike ever before. Available in Australia through Living Edge, Tom Dixon and Gufram’s work continues to inspire both radical design and innovative thinking, pushing the boundaries of product potential.