Guest of Honour at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2024 – Formafantasma

In today’s bustling design scene, Italian studio Formafantasma stands out as one of the most sought after and prolific, with work exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide. Using design as an agent for social and environmental transformation, the research-based studio is on a mission to show that design is much more than a tool to conceive objects – it can change entire systems.

“We are extremely happy to welcome Formafantasma as Guest of Honour in February 2024,” says Stockholm Furniture Fair director Hanna Nova Beatrice. “Their holistic and research-based approach resonates strongly with the challenges we face today and suggests a different way for designers to work moving forward.

Founded by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin in 2009, Formafantasma investigates the ecological, social and political forces shaping contemporary design, exploring its transformative potential. With major exhibitions such as Cambio at London’s Serpentine Gallery, the studio has played a vital role in changing contemporary design practice.

“Formafantasma started as an office focusing on material investigations, and then we deepened our research into the ecological consequences of design today,” says Trimarchi. “We focus on how materials are extracted and processed and how the knowledge that arises from this investigation can inform more thoughtful design choices. We are currently working on both commissioned projects and self-initiated works.”

As Guest of Honour at Stockholm Furniture Fair, Formafantasma will create an installation in the entrance hall for visitors and exhibitors – the studio’s first exhibition in Sweden. “The fair is a gathering force for the design community and offers a strong marketplace for design brands,” says Beatrice. “But we also want to inspire and guide the industry, and our exhibitions play an important part in that.”

“We are really looking forward to coming to Stockholm Furniture Fair, especially to see designers challenging the status quo and looking to contribute to a more thoughtful, environmentally sound landscape of design,” says Trimarchi. “That is our focus and what we are most interested in.”

Formafantasma has collaborated with clients such as Flos, Cassina, CC-Tapis and Hem, among many others, and the studio’s work with Prada Frames has resulted in sold-out lectures during Milan’s Salone del Mobile over the past two years. The studio is currently collaborating with Artek, examining the changing conditions of Finnish forests and how these changes will affect the production of furniture in the future.