During Milan Design Week 2025, Palazzo Cordusio Gran Meliá will emerge as a key destination for international design enthusiasts and professionals, thanks to an exclusive collaboration with the talented young artist and designer Mirei Monticelli. Her captivating installation, Persephone’s World, will transform the hotel entrance and part of the Isola restaurant from April 7 to 24, offering an immersive and visionary experience.
This initiative seeks to elevate Palazzo Cordusio’s role within Milan’s cultural landscape, offering an immersive artistic experience that seamlessly blends tradition and innovation. “Persephone’s World” intertwines light and matter, evoking the Greek myth of Persephone in a captivating interplay of contrasts. Inspired by the theme of Fuorisalone 2025, Connected Worlds, the installation becomes a symbolic gateway between light and darkness. At the same time, it serves as a tribute to the Palazzo’s iconic mosaic—depicting a woman picking a pomegranate—an unmistakable reference to the myth’s timeless narrative.
At the entrance of Palazzo Cordusio, a striking luminous arch heralds the transition between two realms, symbolizing Persephone’s eternal journey between the earthly world and the afterlife. Surrounding it, flickering tongues of fire evoke the raw energy of the underworld’s depths, while at the heart of the space, a suspended radiant globe embodies the vibrancy of life on earth. Enhancing the immersive experience, a reflective mirror designed by Costantini Design creates a mesmerizing optical illusion, dissolving the boundaries between reality and the other world. Completing the installation, select pieces—including the Nebula lamp, designed by Monticelli and awarded at MDW 2019—will be strategically placed in the check-in area and at Isola. This carefully curated luminous thread seamlessly connects the hotel’s entrance to its fifth floor, uniting the space in a poetic interplay of light and symbolism.
All the elements of the installation are made of Banaca fibers, a natural material grown in the Philippines and hand-woven by a community of artisans in the province of Bicol.
“I am honored for this collaboration and to be able to exhibit my works in the wonderful setting of Palazzo Cordusio. It is a unique opportunity to make Banaca fibers known as well as our Studio’s goal, which is to enhance the intersection between sustainable materials, craftsmanship, technology and community empowerment – says Mirei Monticelli – We evaluate the best processes and materials for each creation, considering quality, innovation and environmental impact, with the aim of creating sustainable livelihood programs for the growth of the weaver community.”
To celebrate the collaboration, Isola restaurant on the fifth floor of the hotel will host a talk with Mirei Monticelli on April 10. Accessible by invitation, the event will be the occasion for the artist to illustrate her work and her vision of Milan Design Week.
