Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli of 2050+ curates gucci show in milan

 

During Fuorisalone 2025, Gucci unveils Bamboo Encounters, a design-forward exhibition held within the historic Chiostri di San Simpliciano in central Milan. Curated and designed by interdisciplinary agency 2050+ and its founder, a former member of OMA, Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, the show revisits one of the house’s most iconic codes—bamboo—through the lens of seven international artists, architects, and studios.

 

Set in a 16th-century cloister, the project unfolds through a series of installations and a four-part public program exploring the themes of imaginaries, materials, crafts, and narratives. On view till April 13th, visitors encounter bamboo as a living material with cultural, ecological, and emotional resonance. Participating creatives include Nathalie Du Pasquier, Anton Alvarez, Dima Srouji, Kite Club (Liesbeth Abbenes, Maurice Scheltens, Bertjan Pot), Laurids Gallée, Sisan Lee, and the back studio (Eugenio Rossi and Yaazd Contractor), each offering a distinctive take on the potential of bamboo.

gucci brings 'bamboo encounters' in milan's 16th-century cloister, with design by 2050+
images courtesy of Gucci

 

 

bamboo encounters invites creatives to redefine the material

 

Far from a nostalgic homage, Italian fashion house Gucci positions bamboo as an adaptive, global, and emotionally charged contemporary symbol. As the Italian city buzzes with Fuorisalone activity, this exhibition designed by Milan-based 2050+ offers a moment of reflection and connection.

 

Dima Srouji’s Hybrid Exhalations delves into the basketry traditions of the Levant, merging hand-foraged bamboo with delicate blown glass by the Twam family in Palestine. Her work captures a sense of fragility and resilience—like holding nature’s breath. Meanwhile, Alvarez’s sculptural piece 1802251226 embraces the randomness of form, evoking the vertical momentum of bamboo as it meets the unpredictability of fluid movement. In contrast, Nathalie Du Pasquier translates the material into a folding screen, PASSAVENTO, where the raw texture of bamboo frames the softness of silk. Sisan Lee, whose work Engraved is also featured in the exhibition, shares his philosophy. ‘I strive to harmonize intentional craftsmanship with organic imperfections, ultimately achieving a sculptural beauty that feels both refined and natural,’ he notes.

 

At the intersection of high-tech and organic, the back studio’s bamboo assemblage n.1 confronts tradition with innovation. By embedding cold cathode glass into bamboo structures, Rossi and Contractor explore tension between warmth and precision, heritage and hardware. Laurids Gallée also challenges the familiar through Scaffolding in deep blue resin, abstracting the structural logic of bamboo into bold forms.

gucci brings 'bamboo encounters' in milan's 16th-century cloister, with design by 2050+
set in a 16th-century cloister, Bamboo Encounters unfolds through a series of installations

gucci brings 'bamboo encounters' in milan's 16th-century cloister, with design by 2050+
Engraved by Sisan Lee

gucci brings 'bamboo encounters' in milan's 16th-century cloister, with design by 2050+
Sisan Lee creates etches of bamboo in aluminum

gucci brings 'bamboo encounters' in milan's 16th-century cloister, with design by 2050+
PASSAVENTO by Nathalie Du Pasquier

gucci brings 'bamboo encounters' in milan's 16th-century cloister, with design by 2050+
1802251226 by Anton Alvarez

gucci brings 'bamboo encounters' in milan's 16th-century cloister, with design by 2050+
this sculptural piece embraces the randomness of form

gucci brings 'bamboo encounters' in milan's 16th-century cloister, with design by 2050+
Bamboo assemblage n.1 by the back studio

gucci brings 'bamboo encounters' in milan's 16th-century cloister, with design by 2050+
Hybrid Exhalations by Dima Srouji

gucci brings 'bamboo encounters' in milan's 16th-century cloister, with design by 2050+
Scaffolding by Laurids Gallée  

 

 

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Gallée’s piece in deep blue resin abstracts the structural logic of bamboo into bold forms
Gallée’s piece in deep blue resin abstracts the structural logic of bamboo into bold forms
drawing on the traditional Korean aesthetic principle of 'subtraction'
drawing on the traditional Korean aesthetic principle of 'subtraction'
embedding cold cathode glass into bamboo structures
embedding cold cathode glass into bamboo structures
Rossi and Contractor explore tension between warmth and precision
Rossi and Contractor explore tension between warmth and precision

project info:

 

name: Bamboo Encounters

fashion house: Gucci | @gucci
location: Chiostri di San Simpliciano, Milan, Italy

designer-curator: Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli | @ippopeste of 2050+ | @2050.plus
creatives: Nathalie Du Pasquier, Anton Alvarez, Dima Srouji, Kite Club (Liesbeth Abbenes, Maurice Scheltens, Bertjan Pot), Laurids Gallée, Sisan Lee, back studio (Eugenio Rossi and Yaazd Contractor)

dates: April 8th – April 13th, 2025