During Milan Design Week 2026, Rubelli presents Ai Weiwei: About Silk, a site-specific installation created in collaboration with the renowned Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei. Hosted at the Rubelli showroom in Via Fatebenefratelli 9, the exhibition runs from April 20 to 25, 10 am–7 pm, as part of the Fuorisalone program.

The project explores the intersection of art, craftsmanship and political expression, transforming Rubelli’s textile expertise into an immersive installation. At the heart of the exhibition is The Animal that Looks like a Llama but is Actually an Alpaca, translated into an elaborate silk lampas woven by Rubelli. The textile incorporates recurring symbols from Ai Weiwei’s visual language, including surveillance cameras, handcuffs, chains, the Twitter bird and the alpaca, each reflecting themes of freedom, censorship, resistance and social control.

A sculptural sofa designed by Ai Weiwei, upholstered in the same silk lampas, anchors the installation, while Finger, another iconic motif by the artist, expands the dialogue through a refined silk and linen textile developed with reversible color contrasts.

The exhibition also features two display cases designed by Formafantasma, presenting rare materials from the Rubelli Historical Archive and the Rubelli Foundation. Ancient Chinese textiles, Venetian silk fragments and historical artifacts trace a cultural exchange between East and West, reinforcing the exhibition’s broader narrative around silk as both material and medium for ideas.

Further enriching the experience, an unreleased documentary by Argentine director Felipe Sanguinetti offers insight into the collaboration, filmed between Downing College, Cambridge, and the Rubelli weaving mill in Como.

With About Silk, Rubelli and Ai Weiwei present a powerful reflection on heritage, dissent and the enduring expressive potential of textile design.