Exploring shifts in Georgia's sociocultural environment, Rooms Studio conducts an examination in Milan.
Rooms Studio's "Sub-currents (At work)" Exhibition at Milan Design Week 2025
Rooms Studio's exhibition during Milan Design Week 2025, titled "Sub-currents (At work)", offers a thought-provoking exploration of Georgia's cultural identity and political context. The show, hosted by Studio Frey Barth at Via Kramer 32, Milan 20129, is on view until April 12th, 2025.
The exhibition delves into themes related to contemporary social dynamics, labor, and regional identity through design and spatial practice. It adopts an experimental, research-based approach to highlight undercurrents of Georgian culture and societal concerns, such as economic transitions and the tension between tradition and modernity in a post-Soviet context.
One of the key features of the exhibition is a series of ceramic vessels, coated in a dark-blue-black hue, which are reinterpretations of historic vessels. These pieces, part of Rooms Studio's 'Wild Minimalism' collection for Bitossi Ceramiche, stand on black-lacquered podiums crafted individually. They serve as a dialogue with the past, recalling Georgia's role in antiquity.
The exhibition also presents several new works by Rooms Studio. Among them is the 'N1' table, crafted from reclaimed oak from demolished houses. Its blackened-top leaves slide open from the centre, extending to seat 14 people. Another notable piece is the 'N2' table, featuring an industrial-style brushed steel frame that can be expanded from an eight to a 12-seater.
The long table at the exhibition is covered with a continuous ream of paper that is repeatedly scrawled with the word 'ადამიანის' - or adamiani - meaning 'human' in Georgian.
Rooms Studio's metal and glass 'Simple Armoured Table' from 2018 and the blackened steel 'Alchemy Table' from 2017 also feature in the installation. The tables were used as part of a solidarity act in Tbilisi during New Year celebrations.
In addition to the tables, the exhibition includes the 'Re-Assembled' lamps, made from brushed aluminium components wrapped with actual pink silicone, which extend Rooms Studio's Streets Series collection with a pair of floor lamps that appear to be assembled from found parts and stuck together with chewing gum.
The exhibition stands as an example to other designers and creatives who want to channel their anger or anxiety into their work, making a statement both through beauty and utility. It offers an overview of a country in a fragile state and facing turbulent times, representing how the designers themselves are reacting to this.
References:
[4] Milan Design Week 2025 programs dealing with climate crisis and late capitalism.
- Amidst the showcase of contemporary design pieces, Rooms Studio's exhibition at Milan Design Week 2025 also touches on broader topics such as global politics and general news, specifically highlighting Georgia's current sociopolitical and economic struggles.
- In the 'Re-Assembled' lamps, part of the Streets Series collection, one can observe a striking representation of Georgian society's challenges in the context of late capitalism, demonstrating how lifestyle choices and home-and-garden items can reflect and respond to societal concerns.
