News

Shimadzu Corporation will exhibit a science-art installation at Milan Design Week 2026, one of the world’s largest design events. The exhibition will run for seven days from April 20 to 26, and will be held at the “Cavallerizze” area on the grounds of the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan, Italy. This marks Shimadzu’s second participation in Milan Design Week following 2024; once again, the piece was created in collaboration with design studio we+.

The exhibition is titled “In-Between Matter.” The installation expresses subtle states that emerge between materials, focusing on the act of “separation,” a principle at the core of technologies Shimadzu has cultivated over many years. The work enables visitors to experience the processes and phenomena of separation. Beginning from ideas inspired by techniques such as chromatography, time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), the installation visually depicts phenomena in which substances naturally separate according to their intrinsic properties.

Exhibiting at Milan Design Week — an event said to attract some 300,000 visitors from around the world during the period — is part of our activities to spark interest in science and technology. By presenting our technologies as art and receiving evaluation from global design leaders, we aim to raise the international recognition of the Shimadzu brand and enhance our design and technical capabilities. We also expect this to support recruitment of engineers and designers both in Japan and abroad, thereby strengthening our development capacity and design expertise.

Photo: Left — work in progress; Right — the liquid chromatograph that inspired the work

Exhibition Details Title: In-Between Matter

Dates: April 20 (Mon)–26 (Sun), 2026 
Opening hours: 10:30–19:30 Venue: “Cavallerizze” area, Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology
Address: Via Olona, 4, 20123 Milano 
Organizer: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
Research & Design:
Hokuto Ando, Toshiya Hayashi, Yohei Aoki, Eri Sekiguchi (we+)
Ryo Takegawa, Hironobu Nakagawa, Natsuno Ommori, Yuhei Kanamaru, Shunsuke Kosugi (Shimadzu Design)
Technical Design: Satoru Kusakabe
Engineering: Shunji Sato
Graphic Design: Tatsuro Shoji (STUDIO TATSURO SHOJI)
Photo: Masayuki Hayashi, Kenichi Murase
Movie: Kenichi Murase
Coordination: Yukiko Kanamori, Hiroko Goda
Support: TAKEDA RIKA KOGYO Co., Ltd., Nagano Ceramics Corporation., HAKUTEN
Website: https://www.shimadzu.com/today/20260318-1.html

About Milan Design Week

“Milan Design Week” is the collective name for the world’s largest international furniture fair “Salone del Mobile.Milano” held in Milan and the concurrent “Fuorisalone.” Many companies and designers from around the world participate, presenting the latest design exhibitions.

About we+

we+ is a contemporary design studio founded in 2013 by Toshiya Hayashi and Hokuto Ando, that gives form to new perspectives and values using methods based on research and experimentation.
The studio explores the possibilities of alternative design that establishes a close coexistence with the natural and social environment around us, and incorporates a diversity of values that are often forgotten in today’s society, where convenience and rationality are sought. Members with diverse backgrounds and skills: designers, engineers, researchers and writers, come together to present self-initiated projects based on research, both in Japan and abroad. With the knowledge gained from these projects, they participate in a wide range of commissioned work, including R&D, installations, branding, product development, spatial design and art direction for various companies and organizations.
Received many awards, including FRAME Awards Designer of the Year 2024, Wallpaper* Design Awards, Dezeen Awards and EDIDA. The work is in the collection of Vitra Design Museum, Germany.