On the occasion of TEFAF Maastricht 2026, Friedman Benda is thrilled to present Formation , a solo-booth by Italian studio Formafantasma (founded in 2009 by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin). Conceived by Formafantasma as an immersive environment, the presentation brings past and present into dialogue — “not to mimic nor reject history, but to expand upon it.”
This solo booth draws on the studio’s acclaimed history in exhibition design and its ability to highlight contemporary and radical qualities in works across disciplines and periods. This follows their interventions in exhibitions such as Caravaggio/Bernini: Baroque in Rome (2020) at the Rijksmuseum, Mike Kelley: Ghost and Spirit (2025) at the Moderna Museet, and Exposition Générale (2025-26), the inaugural setting at the Fondation Cartier’s new galleries at Palais Royal.
Known for their rigorous investigations into the ecological, historical, political, and social forces shaping contemporary design, Formafantasma here extends the research initiated with their first exhibition at the gallery. Formation continues their inquiry into the archetypes of everyday furniture and our evolving relationship with domestic objects.
Made of Cherry wood, each piece begins with the most fundamental unit of cabinetmaking—the plank. The tension between transforming this material into something that feels both familiar and contemporary lies at the heart of the exhibition. The lighting elements feature rectangular LED panels, with proportions that evoke the familiar screens of mobile devices and laptops.
As the studio states, “this pursuit is subtly informed by a reverence for the Shaker community, Frank Lloyd Wright, and George Nakashima—makers and designers who shaped their own aesthetic and philosophical foundations. The Shakers’ approach to utility and transcendence is mirrored in the collection’s essential forms and its use of Cherry wood, a material deeply embedded in American cabinetmaking. Wright’s synthesis of craft and technology, and Nakashima’s reverence for timber as a living entity, find echoes in the collection’s interplay of warm wood and brushed aluminum—a material more often associated with contemporary digital devices.”
With what the studio calls a ‘restrained aesthetic,’ the exhibition creates a domestic space defined not by spectacle, but by reflection. Showing a mastery of the discipline through familiar typologies and attention to detail, Formafantasma weaves together design sensibilities and materials to assert a language that is distinctly its own.
Fair Information
MECC, Forum 100, 6229 GV, Maastricht, Netherlands
By Invitation, March 12 – 13
Public Days, March 14 – 19
Every day 11AM – 7PM
About Formafantasma
Formafantasma is a research-based design studio investigating the ecological, historical, political and social forces shaping the discipline of design today. The studio was founded in 2009 by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin. The aim of the studio is to facilitate a deeper understanding of both our natural and built environments and to propose transformative interventions through design and its material, technical, social, and discursive possibilities. Working from their studio in Milan (Italy) and Rotterdam (The Netherlands), the practice embraces a broad spectrum of typologies and methods, from product design through spatial design, strategic planning and design consultancy. Whether designing to a client’s brief or developing self – initiated projects, the studio applies the same rigorous attention to context, process and detail. As a result, Formafantasma’s entire portfolio is characterised by a coherent visual language and meticulously researched outcomes. Trimarchi and Farresin also are the head of the GEO–Design department at Design Academy in Eindhoven, there they explore the social, economic, territorial and geopolitical forces shaping design today.
The studio’s insight into the challenges facing design, culture, the environment and society has earned them the patronage of an array of international clients such as Lexus, Flos, Prada, Max Mara, Hermes, Droog, J&L Lobmeyr, Cassina, Bitossi, Established and Sons, La Biennale di Venezia, Rijks Museum, Rubelli, Dzek, Ginori, Hem, Maison Matisse, Bulgari, Samsung, Rado, Roll and Hill, Galleria Giustini / Stagetti, La Rinascente, Gallery Libby Sellers, Fendi, Fondation Cartier, Nasjonalmuseet Oslo, Galleria Massimo Minini, Loro Piana, Jil Sander, Tiffany, Vitra Design Museum, Tacchini, Salone del Mobile, Cc-tapis, and Artek among others
Alongside works for clients, their projects have been presented, published and acquired in the permanent collection of international museums including New York’s MoMA and Metropolitan Museum, Art Institute Chicago, London’s Victoria and Albert, Paris’ Musée National d’Art Moderne, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, CNAP, Fondation Cartier and Centre Pompidou, the Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum, the Vienna’s MAK Museum, Minneapolis’ Walker Art, Utrecht’s Centraal Museum, Mudac Lausanne, North Carolina’s Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Rome’s Museo Maxxi, Vitra Design Museum, Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria, Triennale di Milano, LACMA, Tilburg’s Textiel Museum and others.
Formafantasma is also an award-winning studio: 2021 Wallpaper* Awards Designers of the Year/Winner, 2020 Dezeen Designer of the Year/Winner, 2019 Milano Design Award/Winner, 2019 Beazley Designs of the Year/Nomination, 2018 Beazley Designs of the Year/Nomination, 2018 Hublot Award/Winner, 2018 Dezeen Awards Year/Nomination, 2018 Elle Decoration International Design Awards Designer of the Year/Winner, 2017 Limburg Design Award/Winner, 2017 Milano Design Award/Winner Press Choice and Best Technology, 2016 Elle Decoration International Design Awards Designer of the Year/Nomination, 2015 Wallpaper* Awards Top 20 under 40 Year/Winner, 2014 Wallpaper* Awards Designer of the Year/Nomination, 2014 Elle Decoration Japan Designer of the Year/Winner, 2014 TL Magazine Designer of the Year/Winner, 2013 Elle Decoration International Award/Nomination, 2012 ICON design Awards Emerging Designers of the Year/Winner, 2012 Dutch design Awards Talent Design Award/Nomination, 2012 Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards/Winner, 2012 Brit Insurance Design of the Year/Nomination, 2011 INDEX Award/Nomination.
