At Fuorisalone 2026, the food giant celebrates 40 years in Italy with an exhibition curated by Nicolas Ballario, merging Damien Hirst and Artificial Intelligence
Some define it as a “non-place,” while others consider it a temple of democratic conviviality. The fact remains that McDonald’s has been part of our visual DNA for forty years. To celebrate this milestone anniversary, the brand makes its debut at Milan Design Week with “POOL. Unlocking a Memory,” an exhibition that promises to be among the most photographed (and profound) of the Tortona Rocks circuit.
Curated by the eclectic Nicolas Ballario, the show is not a mere nostalgic celebration, but an aesthetic inquiry into how a global brand has intertwined with Italian culture, starting from that historic March 20, 1986, in Piazza di Spagna.
Contemporary Art and Colored Balls: A Creative Dialogue
The heart of the installation is a giant ball pit, a totemic element of childhood for anyone who grew up with a Happy Meal. But here, the pool becomes a critical device. Inside, the McDonald’s POOL project stages a dialogue between giants:
- Damien Hirst’s Spot Painting: A reflection on seriality and repetition—concepts Hirst turned into art and McDonald’s turned into a production system.
- Early Works by Vedovamazzei: “Discoveries” of the artists’ first creative gestures, a tribute to the origin of every great story.
AI as a Time Machine: Creating Memories in Real-Time
The journey doesn’t stop at contemplation. McDonald’s is accelerating technology with a room dedicated to Artificial Intelligence. Here, visitors can interact with a system that transforms fragments of personal memories into a video generated in real-time. It is the evolution of memory: from the analog photos of the 80s to the digital synthesis of 2026.
The title itself, POOL, is a semantic play: read backwards, it becomes LOOP, emphasizing the cyclical nature of time and those memories that, periodically, return to visit us.
A 40-Year Commitment
As highlighted by CEO Giorgia Favaro, the goal is to show how the brand has become “part of the collective culture.” With over 800 restaurants in Italy, the McDonald’s project today is a reality made of 40,000 people and millions of daily stories. The exhibition concludes with a section dedicated to memorabilia: iconic design objects and archival materials that have marked the evolution of taste in Italy.
