For this year’s Milan Design Week, Nilufar via della Spiga hosts ‘Ex Terrā’, a collective exhibition exploring the theme of nature and our desire to bring the beauty and complexity of the natural world into our living spaces. Curated by Nina Yashar, the exhibition brings together Andrea Mancuso, Maximilian Marchesani, and Etienne Marc, along with a selection of artists curated by Filippo Pecora, including Renata Boero, Lisa Dalfino, Servane Mary, Augustas Serapinas, Simon Callery, and Ann Iren Buan. Through a selection of previously unreleased works, the exhibition highlights the dichotomy between humans and nature, inviting reflection on the environment’s quiet resilience, its imperfections, and its timeless ability to inspire us.
Conceived as a harmonious dialogue between art and design, the exhibition reinforces how nature serves both as a muse and as a source of materials. The gallery spaces on Via della Spiga will be transformed into domestic terrariums, populated by organic elements that shape an imaginative ecosystem, blurring the boundaries between the built environment and the natural world.
With ‘Ex Terrā’, Yashar unites three designers she has co laborated with extensively within Nilufar’s universe over the years. For the first time, they come together in a project that weaves a shared motif while preserving their distinct identities. The exhibition celebrates how the natural world has influenced their creative practices, presenting design furniture and artworks that engage directly with the shapes, textures, and materials of the Earth. The works on display reflect the intricate relationships between nature and design, capturing the rhythms of growth, transformation, and decay.
“For this special exhibition, I have chosen to collaborate with three designers who have played a significant role within Nilufar over the years. Bringing them together for the first time on this occasion was a way to create a space that echoes the rhythms of life, growth, and creation. Their sensitive approach to design reflects the delicate equilibrium between humans and nature—a theme that is integral to our existence yet often overlooked. Through their unique perspectives, this exhibition becomes a dialogue between design, art, and the natural world, inviting us to reconsider our connection to it.” — Nina Yashar, Founder of Nilufar
ANDREA MANCUSO: TERRARIO COLLECTION
The Terrario Collection by Andrea Mancuso builds upon the conceptual framework first introduced in the Acquario series, further exploring natural elements and transforming them into design pieces that blur the line between reality and imagination. Inspired by the intricate ecosystems of terrariums and our desire to bring nature’s beauty and complexity into our living spaces, the co lection reinterprets these ideas through a contemporary design lens.
“With Terrario, I aimed to explore the concept of integrating the natural world into domestic environments. Similar to introducing an object like an aquarium or terrarium into the home, I played with the idea of extracting nature from its original context. The shapes of the objects are not literal recreations of living organisms but are intended to evoke the artificial nature of these confined habitats.”, explains Mancuso.
Abstract organic forms are adorned with an undulating skin of thousand of mounted ceramic disks, ranging in shades from deep brown emerald, mirroring the hues of the underbrush and lichen. The handcrafted approach, combined with a complex ceramic glazing process, brings these unique pieces to life, imbuing them with raw yet refined sensibility. The design processi s rooted in extensive research into natural elements, collecting stones, tree trunks, leaves, fungi, and lichens to construct a fictional terrestrial ecosystem. These organic materials are then digitized using a 3D scanner, then assembled, upscaled, and modelled to form a collection of functional sculptures, including a floor lamp, console, wall mirror, two dining tables, coffee table, and two side tables.
MAXIMILIAN MARCHESANI: UNPRODUCED COLLECTION
Maximilian Marchesani’s research stands in a special position. Fascinated by the search for harmony between technology and the organic world, his artworks evoke a continuous exchange between human disposition and global phenomena. For this special showcase, Marchesani presents a set of new light creations that softly warm the venue’s atmosphere, blending organic materials with technological elements. With the collection ‘Unproduced’, presented here for the first time, the artist reflects on his concerns about industrial disruption and the alteration of ecosystems. “I dream of a point of balance that seeks to bring together the irreparably contaminated natural world and the artificial world, which we can no longer imagine giving up.”, explains Marchesani. As part of the collection, the artist presents a mirror and four ceiling lamps, his signature pieces.
ETIENNE MARC: STILL LIFE COLLECTION
Etienne Marc’s ‘Still Life’ sculptural furniture completes the artistic landscape, presenting works suspended between function and transformation, evoking vegetal metamorphoses—timeless forms frozen in motion. Building on research initiated two years ago for Milan Design Week 2023, Marc’s latest approach shifts toward structural clarity and raw materials, moving away from Art Deco and Venetian grotto influences. Metals are sourced from ruins—shaped by time and decay—allowing imperfections like oxidation and fractures to define the design. Surfaces feature oil painting and bronze leaf, inspired by the patinas of Vi la Médici during Balthus’ time. The collection includes a low table, vase, stools, console, and, for the first time, a series of mirrors with acid-treated glass, embedding botanical imprints. “Mimicking nature requires spontaneity and mistakes; there’s logic in organic construction,” says Marc. Each piece balances sculpture and function, exploring the tension between nature and design.
