Galerie Zippenfenig brings the Viennese design scene to Milan. As the first independent show for new Austrian design during the Salone del Mobile 2025, VIENNA VIBES opens up a multifaceted perspective on a design movement that is going its own way with a drive for independence.

“The exhibition focuses on a wide variety of young, creative trends from Vienna, between readymade and elaborate arts and cra6s, with a penchant for the ornament in the tradition of Art Nouveau to its complete rejection, but always in the struggle with its own Viennese identity,” explains gallery owner Markus Zippenfenig. On display are unique pieces and limited editions, works with attitude and design as a personal signature. The credo is: away from the product, towards the object.

This individual spirit is also reflected in the deliberate interim use of unconventional spaces. In the middle of Milan’s Porta Venezia design district, between the shelves of the Erotika Boutique, an inconspicuous staircase leads down into a world that one would not expect to find here.

An aesthetic retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the trade fair: VIENNA VIBES is an exhibition that is not aimed at a quick glance. Visitors are invited to linger and discover the many details that only become apparent with time and attention.

An encounter in an environment that plays with expectations and, in Freudian fashion, stimulates the subconscious to make associations that previously lay dormant. The subtle but powerful staging by curator Thomas Waidhofer takes a seat on the metaphorical couch to confront its multi-layered fields of tension. With over 20 Viennese designers, artists, studios and brands, Galerie Zippenfenig is making a clear statement: the new Austrian design is here – independent, bold and self-confident