ASSOCIATIVE DESIGN holds special exhibition “SECOND LIFE” at the Portugal Pavilion
Associative Design Press release: September 22, 2025 ASSOCIATIVE DESIGN will hold a special exhibition, “SECOND LIFE,” at the Portugal Pavilion. 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo | September 26-29, 2025
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The “Associative Design – The Best of Portugal” project, promoted by the Portuguese Association of Wood and Furniture Industries (AIMMP), will be held from Friday, September 26th to Monday, September 29th, 2025, as part of the “Empowering Portugal” project at EXPO 2025 Osaka-Kansai. The special exhibition “SECOND LIFE” will be held at the Portugal Pavilion, located in the “Portugal Lives” zone. This exhibition is part of the Portuguese government’s official program, a strategic initiative aimed at promoting values such as design, creativity, innovation, and sustainability internationally. Salete Peixinho, Senior Project Manager at “Associative Design – The Best of Portugal,” promoted by the Portuguese Association of the Wood and Furniture Industry (AIMMP), leads the brand’s strategic vision and international expansion. He commented, “Associative Design’s participation in Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai is a great opportunity to raise the international value of Portuguese design and we hope it will send a message toward a sustainable and creative future.” “SECOND LIFE” – Design with Memories, Meaningful Future – “SECOND “LIFE” explores the social and environmental role that contemporary design should play through the regeneration of materials. In response to Portugal’s national theme, “The Sea: Dialogue of Blue,” the exhibition presents a number of works that breathe new life into waste materials and unused resources. Portugal’s leading designers and craftsmen reconstruct materials with their own stories, such as dismantled wood, recycled cork, salvaged glass and plastic, discarded fishing nets, and surplus wool from the textile industry. Each piece celebrates themes such as “imperfection,” “fresh starts,” and “possibility,” embodying design as a medium connecting elements such as “time,” “materials,” “nature,” “industry,” “consumption,” and “responsibility.” The exhibition space is approximately 70 square meters. Set within an abstract spatial presentation of “forest and sea,” the exhibit features furniture and interior pieces designed and produced in Portugal. To allow visitors to delve deeper into the background of the works, the exhibition incorporates digital technologies such as QR codes, video walls, and interactive totems, allowing visitors to experience the charm of Portugal’s creative industry with all five senses. [Event Overview] • Exhibition Title: “SECOND LIFE” – Design with Memories, a Meaningful Future ― • Period: Friday, September 26th to Monday, September 29th, 2025 • Publication time: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM (*Private events will be held from 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM on the 26th and from 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM on the 27th, and will be closed to the public.) • Location: Event Space, Portugal Pavilion, Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai • Organized by: Portuguese Association of Wood and Furniture Industries (AIMMP) • Planning: Associative Design – The Best of Portugal • In cooperation with: AICEP (Portugal Trade and Investment Agency) / SIAC Internationalization Project • Exhibiting artists and companies (planned): Ruben Silva, Vanessa Barragán, Luis Leán, Carlos Melo, André Teoman, Ana Mestre, Mario Henriques, Nuno Rosa, Katia Sousa, Mónica Santos (ceramics), Clara Rego (ceramics), and other products from sustainable Portuguese companies.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/169834/1/169834-1-1c5b5a9407c7150c0e79fd6a7e778e83-1600×1600.jpg Carlos Mello, “Decorative Spatial Structure.” Portuguese designer explores the intersection of art and functionality. His work, which combines a sculptural approach with contemporary furniture design, embodies cultural identity while proposing new forms of expression.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/169834/1/169834-1-7f81f6635488788c95c2504e4007fe9c-1600×1600.jpg Luis Leão “Champagne Side Table”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/169834/1/169834-1-eb27d8e266966c838422ae7b2584f80a-1067×1600.jpg Luis Leão is a Portuguese designer who creates functional furniture with a contemporary perspective. His work focuses on the relationship between form and purpose, fusing innovation with practicality within the context of Portuguese design.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/169834/1/169834-1-02c82e637b15e03d654fed57edee1fbd-1600×1333.jpg Left) Wood Tailors Design “Barlow coat hanger”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/169834/1/169834-1-f6a34c8862729642e9d495a927d26641-1600×1068.jpg Right) “Forest Chair” by Ana Mestre and Rasim Savaskan This exhibition aims to promote the value of Portugal’s creative industries and sustainable design internationally, increase awareness of the “Portugal brand,” and build a network with partners and investors around the world. It is being implemented as part of the SIAC Internationalization Project in collaboration with AICEP (Portugal Trade and Investment Agency). [About Associative Design – The Best of Portugal] An international project promoted by the Portuguese Association of Wood and Furniture Industries (AIMMP). The project aims to promote Portugal’s outstanding design and manufacturing techniques to the world, and to develop proposals that combine cultural identity and applied innovation, particularly in the field of living spaces. Its goal is to foster structured dialogue between industry, academia, and creators, thereby strengthening the creativity and international competitiveness of the Portuguese furniture industry.
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