The design exhibitions They have become one of the best cultural plans For those who enjoy art, creativity, and immersive experiences. From museum exhibits that combine technology and storytelling to trade fairs brimming with unique pieces, design is now unfolding in galleries, palaces, cultural centers, and even on streets filled with urban art that sometimes goes unnoticed.
On this tour you will find design exhibitions, fairs, temporary exhibitions and museum projects These projects have shaped recent years in cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Granada, Toro, Valladolid, and even international venues in Latin America and Europe. You'll see projects that explore textile memory, the metaverse, video games, science, film, photography, and luxury interior design, all sharing a common thread: design understood as a tool for experimenting, learning, and enjoying.
Fiesta Design: design as a celebration and shared experience
Fiesta Design offers a different and approachable way of getting to know designMoving away from the idea of a cold and distant exhibition, it offers a broad program of activities and proposals that invite the public to immerse themselves in an environment of connection, experimentation, inspiration, and discovery.
In this context, design is experienced as a collective experience in which the public not only observes, but also participatesIt questions, tests materials, interacts with installations, and allows itself to be surprised by unconventional formats. It's a way of understanding design that's more closely linked to play, curiosity, and the coexistence of disciplines.
The idea is that the visitor can tour a long list of very varied proposalsFrom sensory installations to spaces for reflection, including small interventions that transform the perception of space. All of this is framed within an environment that seeks to break down barriers between creator and spectator.
Memory, textiles and museums: Patricia Esquivias and embroidery as a narrative
Within the project “Memory, textiles, museums. The slums of care”, promoted by the General Subdirectorate of State Museums and the General Subdirectorate of Visual Arts and Contemporary Creation of the Ministry of Culture, highlights the proposal of the artist Patricia Esquivias at the National Museum of Decorative Arts.
The exhibition entitled “Al puro ver se ve” can be visited until January 25th on the 4th floor from the museum, with free access for the public. It is supported by complementary materials such as a press release, a dossier and a specific microsite where the project and its research process are detailed.
This general program involves the CIPE Costume Museum, the National Museum of Romanticism, the National Archaeological Museum, the Museum of the Americas, and the National Museum of Decorative Arts, all of them reviewing their textile collections from a contemporary perspectiveThe aim is to rescue what usually remains in the background of collections, those "slums of attention" that rarely occupy the center of the exhibition discourse.
In the case of Esquivias, the project's central focus is a particularly complex embroidery techniquein which the front and back of the piece are identical. This is the well-known Fez embroidery, which also appears in Caleruela (Toledo) under the name "Moorish Stitch." The artist investigates the connections between both embroideries, showing how these fabrics function as objects of local identity but also as a symbol of international nomadism.
The embroidery routes take the visitor through Morocco, Türkiye and SpainFollowing the trail of those who may have disseminated this technique: anthropologists, collectors from the old Pedagogical Museum, soldiers destined for the Moroccan War, or key figures of the Generation of '27. Among them appears the figure of Zenobia Camprubíwhose shop was a strategic point for the dissemination of folk embroidery. The exhibition is complemented by a video also titled “Seeing is Seeing,” which expands the narrative dimension of the show.
Large exhibition and museographic design projects
Beyond textile or designer displays, exhibition design unfolds in large-scale projects that combine architecture, museography, audiovisual content and graphic CommunicationMany of them have shaped the recent cultural agenda.
One of the milestones is the Spain Pavilion at the Osaka 2025 World Expo, winning project of the competition in August 2023. The work, developed in collaboration with Enormous Studio and ExtudioIt encompasses the building design, the interior exhibition, the selection and articulation of content, as well as the graphic identity and communication, making the pavilion an example of total integration of disciplines.
Another key project is the elBulli 1846 Museum, in Cala Montjoi (Cap de Creus Natural Park, Girona), promoted by the elBulli Foundation. Here, the museum displays cover the interior of the three buildings that make up the complex, some 1.200 m2, in addition to the outdoor museum installations, totaling around 3.000 m2This is a paradigmatic case of how exhibition design can translate the history of haute cuisine and gastronomic innovation into a spatial narrative.
Recent exhibitions of design, art, science and digital culture
The last few years have been full of exhibitions in which design has been the common thread.both in Madrid and in other Spanish and international cities. Many of them have been held at the Espacio Fundación Telefónica, a leading venue for science, visual culture, and technology exhibitions.
Among the most recent samples are: “Virtual Worlds. From the cyclorama to the metaverse”, held at the Espacio Fundación Telefónica in Madrid between November 2023 and May 2024, which traced the evolution of immersive experiences from nineteenth-century panoramas to contemporary virtual environments.
Also highlights “Al Bies. Women artists and design in the Spanish avant-garde”, presented at the National Museum of Decorative Arts (MNAD) in Madrid between November 2023 and March 2024, a necessary journey through the creators who promoted design in the Spanish avant-garde and who have often been less visible in official narratives.
In the same vein of current events, “Fake News. The factory of lies” It occupied the Espacio Fundación Telefónica in Madrid between June and November 2023, inviting reflection on disinformation, the circulation of hoaxes and the visual construction of lies in the digital age.
Other recent projects with a strong exhibition design component are “The Absent Body” at the Cristina García Rodero Museum in Puertollano (March – July 2023), “Brain(s)” at the Espacio Fundación Telefónica in Madrid (December 2022 – June 2023) or “Lartigue. The hunter of happy moments” at the Canal de Isabel II Foundation (February – April 2023). In all of them, the staging, lighting and graphic resources contribute to building a coherent and immersive visual experience.
The relationship between art, algorithms, and computation was addressed in “Codes and Algorithms. Meaning in a Calculated World”, also at Espacio Fundación Telefónica, between October 2022 and April 2023. In parallel, the exhibition “The Ibero-American of Toro” It brought contemporary art and design to the town of Toro in Zamora in two successive editions: July – October 2022 and July – September 2021.
In Madrid, the exhibition “Connections in the Telefónica collection” (Espacio Fundación Telefónica, February – September 2022) explored dialogues between works from different eras, while “Next destination: Carmen Laforet”, at the Cervantes Institute (March – June 2022), proposed a literary and visual journey through the figure of the writer.
Possible futures, color and grand narratives in the exhibition space
One of the most impactful recent exhibitions has been “The Great Imagination. Stories of the FUTURE”, which occupied the Espacio Fundación Telefónica in Madrid between November 2021 and April 2022 and obtained the FRAME AWARDS 2022 (Public Vote)It investigated how different eras have imagined the future, using exhibition resources that mixed archives, graphic design, audiovisuals and immersive scenography.
The exhibition “Color. The knowledge of the Invisible” It is another example of a large-scale traveling project, where the exhibition design serves to explain the science of color from multiple angles. It was presented at the Espacio Fundación Telefónica in Madrid between June 2021 and January 2022, and subsequently traveled to Caracas Science Museum (November 2022 – April 2023), to Metropolitan Cultural Center of Quito (December 2022 – April 2023), to UNAM Science Museum in Mexico City (December 2022 – April 2023) and to Telefónica Movistar space in Lima (June – October 2023).
The relationship between design, experimental architecture, and systems thinking was addressed in “Radical curiosity. In the orbit of Buckminster Fuller”, an exhibition at Espacio Fundación Telefónica (October 2020 – March 2021) that recreated the visionary atmosphere of the famous designer and inventor.
One of the most striking proposals dedicated to digital entertainment was “Game On. The History of Video Games 1972-2020”, organized by Barbican Centre London and Fundación Canal Isabel II in Madrid (November 2019 – March 2020), winner of the Public Vote in the Dezeen Awards 2020The exhibition design here played with nostalgia, graphic icons, and direct interactivity with consoles and screens.
From a scientific perspective, “Touching the sky. Exploring space”, at the Science Park of Andalusia (Granada, February 2020 – June 2021), used museum resources to bring space exploration closer to the general public, creating a didactic and visually powerful tour.
Interculturality, photography and historical narrative through design
Exhibition design has also served to connect cultures and disciplines, as is the case in “Indian Odyssey. The Universe of Ravi Shankar. The Beatles in India”, which was presented at the Fernán Gómez Centro Cultural de la Villa (Madrid, December 2020 – January 2021) and later at the House of India in Valladolid during SEMINCI (September – December 2021). The exhibition combined music, graphic archives and set design to narrate the links between Ravi Shankar, the Beatles and India.
La House of Mexico in Madrid has hosted projects such as “Toledo Ve” (April – September 2021) or “Pedro Friedberg: PhD in Caryatids” (June – September 2020), proposals in which the installation emphasizes the playful, colorful, and symbolic nature of the works. In addition, “Alfredo Castañeda”, presented at the Casa de México (March – September 2020) and also at the Santa Cruz Museum (Toledo, January – April 2018) and the Ciudad Real Museum (May – August 2017).
In the field of contemporary photography, the Canal de Isabel II Hall in Madrid It has been the setting for exhibitions such as “Matías Costa. SOLO” (December 2020 – January 2021), “Juan Valbuena. Where Maps Fold” (PHotoESPAÑA, September – November 2020) or “David Jiménez. Universes” (PHotoESPAÑA, June – August 2019). All of them stand out for the careful room design, which accompanies the sequential reading of the photographic series.
Photographer Koldo Chamorro He starred in “The Iberian Holy Christ” (PHotoESPAÑA), which toured the Museum of Navarre (Pamplona, February – July 2020), the Lázaro Galdiano Museum (Madrid, July – October 2020), the Cervantes Institute in Prague (June – September 2021), the Bielska Gallery in Bielsko-Biała (Poland, October – December 2021), and the Cervantes Institute in Belgrade (January – March 2022). Each venue adapted the exhibition while maintaining a consistent theme. exhibition design consistent with the documentary and symbolic nature of the work.
In the field of historical documentary, the exhibition “Madrid, an educating city. 1898/1938. A record of public schools”Hosted by the Museum of the History of Madrid (March – December 2019), the exhibition successfully combined plans, photographs and school objects in a display that made visible the evolution of public education in the city.
Intangibles, democracy, and great icons of pop culture
One of the most unique projects of recent years has been “Intangibles: A digital exhibition of the Telefónica Collection”which opted for a hybrid and technological format. The exhibition was displayed simultaneously at the Espacio Fundación Telefónica in Madrid, Quito (Ecuador), Santiago de Chile, the Cinemateca in Bogotá, and the Franz Mayer Museum in Mexico City, all between October 2019 and February 2020. Here the digital experience and the reinterpretation of works of art through interfaces and interactive devices They were key to the speech.
The political dimension of exhibition design is evident in “Democracy. 1978-2008”, presented at CaixaForum Madrid (December 2018 – March 2019), where the museography helped to understand the evolution of Spanish democracy through documents, audiovisuals and graphic resources.
Film culture has found a perfect ally in exhibition design, as seen in shows like “SEMINCI: A history of cinema (1956-2015)”, in the Hall of the Passion Museum of Valladolid (September – November 2015), or the major retrospectives dedicated to key figures in film and fiction: “Hitchcock: Beyond Suspense”, which was shown at the Telefónica Foundation in Madrid (October 2016 – February 2017), the San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián (June – October 2017) and the National Film Archive of Mexico (September 2018 – January 2019); and “Terror in the Laboratory: From Frankenstein to Dr. Moreau”, organized at Espacio Fundación Telefónica (Madrid, June – October 2016), Espacio Santa Clara in Seville (March – May 2017) and the National Science Museum of Caracas (July 2019 – January 2020).
Illusionism and spectacle have also had their place with “Houdini. The Laws of Astonishment”, which traveled through the Espacio Fundación Telefónica in Madrid (February – May 2017), the Buenos Aires headquarters (March – June 2018), the Museum of Science and Water in Murcia (September 2018 – March 2019) and the Espacio Fundación Telefónica in Quito (May – September 2019), always with a a montage full of visual tricks, light shows and interactive devices.
Scientific imaginaries: Mars, Tesla, Verne and artificial intelligence
The intersection of science, technology, and design has generated very popular exhibitions, such as “Mars. The conquest of a dream”which was on display at the Espacio Fundación Telefónica in Madrid (November 2017 – March 2018) and at the Museu de les Ciències in Valencia (May 2018 – December 2020). Its museographic approach brought the imagery of the red planet closer from both the scientific and popular culture perspectives.
In a similar vein of hybridization between fiction and science, the exhibition “Beyond 2001: Odysseys of Intelligence” It was presented at Espacio Fundación Telefónica (Madrid, October 2018 – February 2019) and at the Museum of Human Evolution in Burgos (April – December 2019), exploring narratives about artificial intelligence, from Kubrick's classic to current technologies.
The universe of Julio Verne His influence on the scientific imagination was the central theme of “Jules Verne. The Limits of Imagination,” a traveling exhibition that toured Espacio Fundación Telefónica in Madrid (November 2015 – February 2016), the Niemeyer Center in Avilés (November 2016 – May 2017), the Telefónica Foundation's headquarters in Buenos Aires (May – June 2017), Santiago de Chile (April – July 2018), and Quito (February – June 2018), as well as MARCO in Vigo (April – October 2018), the IKIAM campus in Tena (Ecuador, November 2019 – March 2020), and the Museum of Science and Water in Murcia (November 2019 – April 2020). The design of this exhibition was based on stage designs inspired by ships, balloons and impossible machines.
Another major reference point in scientific culture is Nikola Tesla, protagonist of “Nikola Tesla. The Future Is His,” which was presented at Espacio Fundación Telefónica Madrid (November 2014 – February 2015), the Museu de les Ciències in Valencia (March 2016 – March 2017), Maloka (Bogotá, June – September 2016), the Gabriel García Márquez Caribbean Museum in Barranquilla (December 2017 – January 2018), the Buenos Aires venue (October 2016 – February 2017), the Cabildo in Córdoba, Argentina (May – June 2017), Espacio Fundación Telefónica in Quito (July – December 2017), and the National Science Museum in Caracas (July 2018 – February 2019). This exhibition has become a international touring model with a highly recognizable exhibition design.
Dance, art and fashion: exhibitions that connect body and design
The link between body, movement, and design was reflected in “The dancer of the future. From Isadora Duncan to Josephine Baker”The exhibition, which was presented at Espacio Fundación Telefónica in Madrid (March – June 2018) and at the Quito headquarters (July – September 2018), integrated costumes, photography, video, and set design to show how these figures revolutionized the language of dance.
The urban and social fabric was addressed in the traveling exhibition “In No Man’s Land”The exhibition was shown at the Casa del Reloj in Madrid (2017), the Higher Technical School of Engineering in Cádiz (September 2018), the headquarters of the Parliament of Navarre in Pamplona (November 2018), and the La Beneficencia Cultural Center in Valencia (December 2018). The exhibition used understated yet effective display techniques to discuss borders, migrations and liminal spaces.
The secondhand art and fashion fair incorporates design from a different angle: it is an event that brings together a very wide selection of unique pieces from other erasFull of stories and contrasts, at very attractive prices. In addition to these vintage garments and objects, there is a wide selection of paintings and sculptures by contemporary artists, so art and fashion lovers will find something for everyone. a culturally rich shopping experience full of options to take home something with character.
Trade fairs, interior design and commercial design: Casa Decor and Intergift
Among the major annual events dedicated to design and interior design in Spain, Casa Decor occupies a prominent placeThis event returns every year to transform iconic Madrid buildings into a showcase of trends. In one of its editions, the protagonist is the Palace of La Trinidad, at 82 Francisco Silvela Street, located in the heart of the Salamanca district.
More than 200 participants, including established professionals and emerging talentsAround fifty spaces are spread throughout the palace, each designed with a different concept. Casa Decor has established itself as a key platform for to promote interior design and give visibility to consumer, luxury and lifestyle brands, articulating a journey that combines product, trends and spectacular sets.
On the other hand, Intergift is one of the leading trade fairs for decoration, furniture and giftsHeld at IFEMA Madrid and with over 83 editions behind it, the fair offers an ideal platform for brands to present their new products and develop their collections for key campaigns.
In its second edition of 2024, scheduled from September 11 to 14Intergift focuses a large part of its offering on the thematic areas of Home & Decor and GiftsThese are crucial moments leading up to the Christmas and Three Kings' Day season. For industry professionals, it's a key meeting point for identifying... trends in product design, decoration and lifestyle.
Barcelona: museums, galleries and design exhibitions for all tastes
The city of Barcelona is fertile ground for design exhibitionsThanks to a very wide network of museums, galleries and cultural centers that program exhibitions of art, science, photography, history and proposals that are difficult to label but always surprising.
In addition to the major institutions, the city offers streets full of hidden works of artUrban art pieces and small architectural details that often go unnoticed in daily life. Design here is experienced both indoors and in public spaces.
Those who wonder what they are the best exhibitions in Barcelona right now They can find options for all types of visitors: solo visits after work, cultural outings for couples, or plans with friends. The range extends from graphic design and typography exhibitions to immersive installations and retrospectives of renowned artists.
Much of this content is organized following carefully crafted editorial standards and ethical guidelines, reflected in design magazinesThis ensures up-to-date and verified information about the city's events. Furthermore, some museums are joining initiatives such as the Free admission on Sundays, facilitating access for those who want to discover new exhibitions free of charge.
For design lovers, combining visits to museums and galleries with routes through creative neighborhoods where studios proliferateshowrooms and designer shops
Reviewing this extensive overview of exhibitions, fairs, and museums dedicated to design and related disciplines, one can appreciate how Design has taken center stage in contemporary cultural experienceThis ranges from major international projects like the Spanish Pavilion at Osaka 2025 and the Telefónica Foundation's traveling exhibitions, to trade fairs such as Casa Decor and Intergift, and local initiatives in cities like Barcelona and Toro. For visitors, this translates into an endless array of activities where they can learn, enjoy, and be inspired by the power of design in all its forms.
