SANAA and formafantasma create kaleidoscopic landscape for bulgari exhibition in tokyo

SANAA & Formafantasma craft a luminous exhibition for Bulgari

Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA, together with Formafantasma, transform The National Art Center in Tokyo into a flowing landscape of color, light, and reflection for the exhibition Bvlgari Kaleidos: Colors, Cultures, and Crafts, on view until December 15th, 2025.

SANAA creates a continuous, luminous environment of soft curves, translucent walls, and filtered light, instead of following a chronological layout. The design guides visitors through the space, recalling the mosaics of the ancient Baths of Caracalla, which inspired Bulgari’s Roman identity. Gentle organic shapes and layered transparencies produce a sense of movement, like stepping into a turning kaleidoscope, leading visitors from one display of color to the next without abrupt transitions.

all images courtesy of Bulgari

A kaleidoscopic experience of Italian and Japanese design in Tokyo

Italian studio Formafantasma designs freestanding display cases that act as sculptural elements within this fluid space. Each vitrine isolates Bulgari’s heritage jewels, including necklaces, bangles, and Serpenti pieces, while their materials and finishes control light and reflection. The jewels appear to float, their colors amplified by the interplay of glass, metal, and resin, turning each case into a miniature installation of color and form.

The Tokyo-based architects SANAA use light and transparency to highlight the brilliance of the jewels while also echoing the calm precision of Japanese design. The dialogue between the two cultures becomes clear in the opening pieces, featuring a gold and lapis lazuli paperweight shaped like a Roman temple that sits alongside a circular brooch in mother-of-pearl and polychrome enamel.

In Bvlgari Kaleidos: Colors, Cultures, and Crafts, architecture becomes part of the exhibition. SANAA and Formafantasma extend Bulgari’s world of color into an experience in which visitors become participants in a kaleidoscopic journey.

SANAA’s Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa collaborate with Formafantasma on the exhibition design