The “When Apricots Blossom” installation at Palazzo Citterio marked Milan Design Week 2026 as a manifesto for resilience and ecological design
The spotlight dimmed yesterday on Milan Design Week 2026, but the echoes of Uzbekistan’s participation continue to resonate through the halls of Palazzo Citterio. The exhibition “When Apricots Blossom,” promoted by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF), bid farewell to the Milanese public, cementing its status as one of the most poetic and politically significant projects of the entire festival.
The showcase, curated by architect Kulapat Yantrasast, did not merely celebrate the aesthetics of the steppe; it utilized craftsmanship as a powerful engine for cultural and social rebirth in the Aral Sea region.
The Deconstructed Yurts and the Design of Resilience
The beating heart of the event was the Garden Pavilion, a spectacular 15-meter-wide “deconstructed yurt.” Yantrasast reinterpreted the nomadic grace of ancient Uzbek dwellings through a high-tech structure made of steel and translucent fiber.
In a region like the Aral Sea, where an ecological crisis has redefined the landscape, the Uzbekistan project demonstrated how weaving, baking, and construction can offer tangible answers to contemporary challenges.
International Collaborations: The Bread Ritual and Bethan Laura Wood’s Colors
One of the most appreciated highlights for visitors was the dialogue between global designers and local master artisans. Designer Bethan Laura Wood enchanted the audience with the installation Bringing The Inside Out, a cascading flow of tassels evoking lost waters and traditional yurt decorations.
Equally iconic was the project dedicated to bread. Twelve international designers (including Raw-Edges, Fernando Laposse, and Marcin Rusak) collaborated with Karakalpak artisans to reinvent the chekich—traditional stamps used to impress patterns onto bread. These objects, elevated to cultural artifacts, told stories of hospitality and family identity.
Toward the Future: From Milan Design Week to Tashkent
While the Milanese chapter has come to a close, the journey of Uzbekistan‘s design has only just begun. The works presented at Palazzo Citterio will return home for the first international edition of Tashkent Design Week (June 1–7, 2026).
The path will then culminate with the Aral Culture Summit in September, solidifying the country’s commitment to transforming a narrative of environmental loss into a story of creative possibility and sustainable innovation.
