KAMA: Sex & Design exhibition preview

Crowd by Ronit Baranga

From 5 December to 10 March 2013, Milan's Triennale Design Museum will present a new exhibition about the relationship between sex and design. Named after the Hindu god of pleasure, the show will survey the subject's historical, mythical and anthropological roots, as well as unveiling new works by eight international designers.

Tema e Variazioni 336 by Piero Fornasetti. Atelier Fornasetti, 1980, courtesy Archivio Fornasetti

More than 200 exhibits will be on display, ranging from archeological finds to drawings, pictures, objects and artworks. Pieces on show will include Etruscan vases, Roman amulets, drawings by Piero Fornasetti, works by Carlo Mollino and Ettore Sottsass, the Mae West Sofa by Salvador Dalí, and The Great Wall of Vagina by Jamie McCartney - an artwork comprising plaster casts taken from the genitals of 400 different women.

Eight international designers - Andrea Branzi, Nacho Carbonell, Nigel Coates, Matali Crasset, Lapo Lani, Nendo, Italo Rota and Betony Vernon - have also been commissioned to present their personal interpretations of the theme, through brand new, site-specific installations.