2025
Curated by :
Francesco Zurlo con Lorenzo De Bartolomeis, Masaya Hashimoto, Akira Hosoe, Mariko Hosoe, Takeo Hosoe, Taro Hosoe, Ann Marinelli, Lorenzo Palmeri, Alessandra Salvin, Renata Sias.
Exhibition design: Lorenzo De Bartolomeis, Masaya Hashimoto, Lorenzo Palmeri, Francesco Ranalletta.
Graphic design: Lorenzo De Bartolomeis, Sabrina Morelli.
Site-specific Installation: Studio Sawada Design.
Video-interview: Simona Risi, Alice Barrese.
award: ADI Index – 2026
Isao Hosoe identified the role of the designer in the figure of the Trickster. In anthropology, the Trickster is an archetype found in many cultures, both Eastern and
Western. Tricksters are characterised by their unpredictability and their ability to cross boundaries, break down barriers, and transcend limits. They are also agents of
innovation—capable of disrupting the status quo and bringing culture into otherwise static, orderly societies. The Trickster is one who surprises, generates instability, and makes great change possible by dismantling established order through unexpected actions. A “moral hero,” the Trickster has the power to unify or spark dialogue between opposites, forging unprecedented connections between things. The curatorial approach of this exhibition highlights a selection of projects that best
showcase Isao Hosoe’s unique ability to create such unexpected and meaningful connections.
Concepts and Structure of the Exhibition
The exhibition unfolds around a series of key concepts that form the foundation of Isao Hosoe’s design philosophy—Play, Behavioural Energy, Fluidity, N[e]omadism, Proxemics, Bricoleur, and others. These ideas serve as thematic gateways into the projects on display. At the heart of the exhibition space hangs a site-specific aerial sculpture by international artists Hirotoshi and Nami Sawada. Titled “Isao’s Cloud,” the installation is composed of sheets of paper bearing Hosoe’s sketches, doodles, and notes—drawn on A3 paper or in his ever-present notebooks. This ethereal, yin-like sculpture suspended from the ceiling—intuitive, emotional, and unstructured—symbolically contains the essence of the projects displayed below in the yang world—structured, didactic, and analytical. The yin dimension serves as a counterpoint to the yang, creating a dynamic interplay between intuition and method. Beneath the suspended sculpture by Studio Sawada, a circular seating area invites visitors
to recline and gaze up at Hosoe’s sketches floating above. This layout evokes a Mandala—a visual representation of the universe in Vajrayana Buddhism, in which Isao Hosoe had been ordained as a lay monk. Along the side walls and hanging throughout the space are projects and selected aphorisms by Isao Hosoe, with a central focus on the concept of “Behavioural Energy.” The industrial design products and business projects on display are among his most innovative, presented through their full design journey—from initial sketches to models and final products. To recreate the atmosphere of the Isao Hosoe Design studio, a dedicated set reconstructs
a corner of his workspace, complete with models made by interns, brushes, bookshelves, and the captivating notebooks he always carried to sketch spontaneous ideas and jot down impressions of what he saw or heard. A monitor also features video projections and interviews with Isao Hosoe, directed by Alice Barrese. The exhibition design is lightweight, modular, and easily transportable, made entirely ofcardboard. The undulating shapes of the display surfaces echo the morphology of the BioTable, designed by Isao Hosoe for Itoki.
