DILMOS PRESENTS MIMESIS AT MILANO DESIGN WEEK 2026

Images courtesy of Dilmos

Exhibition by Onno Adriaanse and Valeria Vaccaro

Suspended between observation and suggestion, Mimesis comes to life as an evocative exhibition curated and presented by Dilmos during Milano Design Week 2026. Set within its historic gallery in the heart of Brera, the exhibition unfolds as a quiet yet immersive dialogue, where nature, material, and perception converge with subtle intensity.

Onno Adriaanse

Bringing together Dutch designer Onno Adriaanse and Italian artist Valeria Vaccaro, Mimesis explores how objects move beyond static form, adopting behaviors drawn from the natural world. Each designer approaches this idea through a distinct creative language, developing original collections that position form and material as living, responsive elements.

Onno Adriaanse

Rooted in the Greek concept of μίμησις (mìmesis), the exhibition frames design as a continuous process of transformation. Objects are not fixed; they evolve, react, and adapt, mirroring the dynamics inherent in nature. In this context, material becomes active, capable of expressing growth, tension, and subtle shifts in perception.

Presented by Coulisse | INK

Adriaanse revisits his Hedera collection, expanding it into a more architectural and spatial expression. Inspired by climbing plants observed during his travels, he translates organic growth into sculptural wooden forms that branch and extend within space. The introduction of glass adds a new dimension, creating a refined interplay between opacity and transparency, weight and lightness. A key highlight, the Hedera Cabinet, stands as a vertical composition defined by continuous branching, with internal compartments arranged progressively to echo the logic of natural growth.

Valeria Vaccaro

In contrast, Vaccaro’s Ossimoro collection introduces a poetic tension between opposites. Marking her transition from contemporary art into design, the series explores the duality of fragility and strength through Carrara marble surfaces treated to resemble aged wood.

Valeria Vaccaro

Among its highlights is a series of mirrors—Ossimoro I, II, and III—where sculptural marble frames mimic tree trunks with hand-painted grains and subtle burned details, juxtaposed with geometrically precise reflective surfaces.

Together, these two narratives define Mimesis as a nuanced curatorial statement by Dilmos during Milano Design Week 2026—one that foregrounds authorship, craftsmanship, and the expressive potential of material.

Dilmos, Via San Marco 1, Milan
20–26 April 2026