Barcelona lights up in Milan: 'Inspired in Barcelona: Luce' attracts more than 25,000 visitors at Milan Design Week

The exhibition “Inspired in Barcelona: Luce” has successfully concluded its participation in the Milan Design Week, with more than 25,000 visitors who have been able to enjoy an immersive experience around the creativity and talent of the lighting sector in Barcelona. Promoted by the Barcelona City Council through Disseny Hub Barcelona and the Government of Catalonia through ACCIÓ, and organized by the Barcelona Creativity & Design Foundation, the exhibition took place in the Sala Scalabrini of the Chiesa del Carmine, in the Brera district, one of the epicenters of international design.

Curated by architect and designer Stefano Colli, “Inspired in Barcelona: Luce” explored the expressive and conceptual potential of light through more than a hundred lighting objects, from design classics to emerging and experimental proposals. The installation has combined the curator’s collector’s gaze with an immersive setting that has captivated both the professional and general public.

The exhibition has been structured in three areas: the classics of Barcelona design, the dialogue between innovation and industry, and the emerging proposals self-published or from design schools, offering a global and plural vision of the moment that the sector is living. In addition, outside the church, two iconic pieces of Barcelona’s Christmas lighting have contextualized the visitor -the luminous sign “Barcelona”, designed by Antoni Arola, and the installation “Abraçades #RAVALKM0” by Curro Claret and Maria Güell-, presented for the first time outside their usual context.

According to Stefano Colli, “this exhibition has sought to project Barcelona’s lighting design as a fundamental part of the Mediterranean creative discourse, combining cultural rootedness with contemporary experimentation.”

During the week, the exhibition received the institutional visit of the President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Salvador Illa, and the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, who wanted to show their support for the creative talent of Catalonia in one of the most prominent international design showcases. Accompanied by several designers and representatives of companies in the sector present at the show, both leaders highlighted the innovative capacity of the Catalan creative ecosystem, the strength of the business sector in the field of lighting and the strategic importance of initiatives like this for the international projection of Barcelona and Catalonia.

International repercussion

With prominent coverage in media such as Dezeen, Interni, Elle Decor Italia, Designer Space or Luce, and a strong presence on social networks -especially on Instagram, where the hashtag #inspiredinbarcelonaluce has generated hundreds of posts and interactions-, the exhibition has established itself as a proposal that opens Barcelona design to the world. This visibility reinforces Barcelona’s position as a creative city capable of dialoguing with the sector’s major benchmarks.

 

A proposal with continuity

After its run in Milan, Inspired in Barcelona: Luce will travel to Barcelona, where it will be exhibited at the Disseny Hub Barcelona next October, within the framework of Barcelona Design Week 2025. This re-edition will bring to the local and national public an exhibition that has captivated thousands of international visitors.