Design in Dialogue Between Italy and South Korea
The event “Designer’s Table” has concluded with great success. We supported its organization and promotion, collaborating with Magna Project studio and its director Jihye Choi.
Italy and South Korea celebrated the Korea–Italy Year of Cultural Exchange 2024–2025 through “Designer’s Table”, one of the projects that fostered dialogue between creativity, culture, and new generations of designers from both countries.
Two exhibitions took place simultaneously in Seoul and Milan, confirming design as a universal language capable of creating lasting cultural bridges.
The initiative was organized by the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE), with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea (MCST), and represented one of the key events within the bilateral cooperation program.
The project involved twelve young designers—six Italian and six Korean—selected to explore and reinterpret the gastronomic cultures of Italy and South Korea through the language of design.
The works were presented in two symbolic venues:
- In Seoul, from November 12 to December 31, within the Seoul Design Festival – Seochon Lounge
- In Milan, from November 20 to 30, at the iconic concept store 10 Corso Como
Among the selected Italian designers were:
Guglielmo Brambilla, Marlisa Marasco, Mara Bragagnolo, Giglia Vecchiato (SURI Studio), Gianluca Sestini, and Giulia De Franco, whose projects ranged from material culture to sustainability, from inclusive design to experimentation with biomaterials.
The Korean designers involved were:
Euna Lee, Heeueon Rha, Jisu Jeong, Junghyun Kim, Jungyeon Shin, and Subin Seol, bringing design approaches that combine storytelling, materiality, technology, and interdisciplinary experimentation.
“Designer’s Table” was part of the official initiatives of the Korea–Italy Reciprocal Cultural Exchange Year 2024–2025, inaugurated with the signing of a memorandum of understanding on May 3, 2024, in Rome, in the presence of Korean Minister Yoo In-chon and Italian Undersecretary Maria Tripodi.
As stated by an official from the Korean Ministry of Culture, the project was not merely an exhibition, but a new model of cultural diplomacy based on design, capable of demonstrating the potential and sustainability of creative collaboration between countries.
Through “Designer’s Table”, Italy and South Korea have reaffirmed design as a tool for dialogue, exchange, and shared vision, opening new perspectives for the future of international cultural cooperation.