2026/04/22
The Budapest Select – Patterns of Being exhibition opened with a press day in Milan, where 26 designers and brands are presenting the diversity of contemporary Hungarian design through 65 works. Organised by Creative Hungary and led by curator Hanna Imre, with the spatial concept developed by VÜ Architects, the project reflects on the theme of this year’s edition of Milan Design Week, exploring how we shape the world that surrounds us, while the exhibition and accompanying programmes present Hungarian culture to the international public through music, dance, gastronomy, and object culture.
The Budapest Select – Patterns of Being exhibition opened its doors with a press day at Milan Design Week, showcasing contemporary Hungarian design for the fifth time at one of the world’s most important professional events. This year’s exhibition, titled Budapest Select – Patterns of Being, showcases 65 creations by 26 designers and brands in the 5VIE design quarter in Milan, at Via Olmetto 1.
In her curatorial concept, Hanna Imre explores, through Hungarian object culture, how we respond to change, the cycles by which we live, how we relate to fate, and our responsibility in shaping the future. The exhibition is organised into five thematic units – Current, Aspiration, Fate, Circularity and Responsibility – which examine contemporary design responses to technological, social, and ecological issues. VÜ Architects developed the spatial concept of the exhibition, which shaped the project’s visual and spatial framework through an approach that interprets the relationship between the landscape and the built environment as a unified system, and their experimental material use and context-sensitive design.
On Tuesday, on the press day, the international professional audience and media were the first to discover the exhibition and its concept. During the day, Imre Hanna held a curatorial guided tour, followed in the evening by a Dezeen Talk. In the discussion, alongside Hanna Imre, two exhibiting designers, Sára Kele and József Kolossa, shared their insights on the past and present of Hungarian design, its international role, and sustainability practices.
During the opening day, the performance by the Ballet Company of Győr brought the exhibition space to life several times. The dancers wore outfits created in collaboration by NUBU and István Dukai. The performance featured Eszter Adria Herkovics and Richárd Szentiványi, whose choreography focused on the living connections between contemporary art forms, individual presence, and collective harmony.
The Budapest Select Milan exhibition extends beyond the objects on display. Creative Hungary aims to present additional facets of Hungarian culture in Milan alongside contemporary design; therefore, musical, culinary, and performative programmes will accompany the exhibition throughout the week. The objects reflect cultural traditions, artisanal heritage, material knowledge, and a contemporary reinterpretation of Hungarian visual culture. All week long, programmes await visitors that add new perspectives to the exhibition, offering a possibility for the audience to directly meet the designers, creators, and players in the Hungarian creative scene. The detailed programme is available on the social media platforms of Budapest Select and Creative Hungary.
Further information about the exhibited works is available here:
Budapest Select - Patterns of Being
Budapest Select – Patterns of Being is on view in Milan from 21 to 26 April 2026, offering experience-based programmes alongside the objects on display, further strengthening the position of Budapest and Hungary on the international design scene.
© Creative Hungary. 2026. Minden jog fenntartva.
