THE BEDROCK

Leading the Future of Natural Stone

Take part in the cultural exhibitions of Marmomac

To take part means to be at the heart of this narrative, as protagonists of a change that concerns the entire sector

Marmomac 2026 is not an ordinary edition. It is a historic turning point.

The exhibition pavilion evolves into a new format, designed to engage with those who shape the future.

From the opening to the talks, from meetings with buyers to events, everything comes to life within the exhibition pavilion.

With The Bedrock, Marmomac introduces a new language for its cultural exhibitions. A name that evokes origin, base, foundation. But also what the future is built upon.

The Bedrock is stone as a starting point: primary, solid, timeless material, capable of supporting contemporary visions and new design directions.

The tagline “Leading the Future of Natural Stone” expresses this evolution: not only preserving a heritage, but guiding its transformation. A clear, direct, international concept.

A new identity to present natural stone as the foundation of the future.

Attention: To register for the exhibitions, it is necessary to complete the dedicated form by clicking the “Register for the exhibitions” button, download the regulations, and return them signed to your contact person.

Download the regulation

View the informative PDF

The new layout

Curatorial team

Joseph Grima

Architect, critic and curator

Creative Director of the Design Academy Eindhoven and co-founder of the research studio Space Caviar, he is a key figure in the international contemporary architecture and design scene.

His work moves between design, curating, publishing and research, with a well-established presence in the global circuit of biennials and triennials.

In recent years, he has contributed to redefining the role of cultural institutions and exhibition platforms, promoting a critical and forward-looking vision of design practice.

Curatorial proposal: ON STONE

Description: Stone is one of humanity’s oldest materials, long perceived as belonging to the past and associated with high-impact extractive practices.

Today, however, it is undergoing a new phase.

Technological innovation, digital fabrication and materials research are redefining its role, revealing its potential as a durable, reusable and low-emission resource. Reuse — from spolia practices to contemporary networks — is returning to the centre, together with the development of hybrid materials and the use of stone by-products.

The exhibition explores this transformation across architecture, design and industry, showing how innovation, sustainability and material culture are reshaping one of the oldest building materials for the future.

Davide Fabio Colaci

Architect and curator

He explores the transformations of the contemporary habitat through design and interdisciplinary research. He works in both design and curatorship, investigating phenomena of change linked to design culture, with specific expertise in exhibition design and the creation of ephemeral spaces: from the home to the party.

He is Professor of Interior Architecture and Exhibition Design at the Politecnico di Milano and Course Leader of the Master of Arts in Interior Design at IED Milano. He carries out independent critical work, writing on design for journals and academic communities.

Curatorial proposal: MARBLE INTERIORS – 10 Edited Projects

Description: Marble Interiors presents a selection of 10 interior design projects (Italian and/or international) in which marble and natural stone are the absolute protagonists of space, technique and surface language. From often-forgotten historical masterpieces to contemporary and/or unpublished works, the exhibition explores the multiple values of stone surfaces through aesthetic, material and cultural characteristics, as well as technological innovations.

Ten interior projects (five historical and five contemporary) are narrated through a combination of photographs, drawings and reconstructed fragments and parts using physical marble samples, creating a tangible and visual dialogue between design, interiors and material. The exhibition aims to highlight how marble can play an active role in shaping architectural language and the spatial balance of interiors.

Giuseppe Fallacara

Architect, PhD and Full Professor, Politecnico di Bari

Professor of Architectural Design at the ArCoD Department, he leads the New Fundamentals Research Group and coordinates the PhD programme and the CESAR programme dedicated to architecture and restoration.

He is one of the leading international experts in stereotomy and stone architecture, a field in which he has published numerous monographs and scientific articles, as well as developed experimental prototypes. He has participated in the Venice Architecture Biennale and carries out academic and research activities internationally as a visiting professor.

Curatorial proposal: ONCE UPON A TIME, THE “SKY” OF ARCHITECTURE – new research on vaulted lithic space

Description: Once upon a time there was a vault. Enclosing and covering are the primordial acts of architecture: masonry and vaulted space. The latter is the transposition of the celestial vault, a “constructed sky” that protects and gives form to the art of stone building.

From this comes stereotomy, a discipline that transforms gravity into structure, allowing stones to support each other and “fly”. Building on these foundations, Marmomac Meets Academies 2026 invites universities and research centres to rethink vaulted lithic space for the future, between sustainability, innovative materials and new structural configurations.

The exhibition unfolds like a story:

Once upon a time there was a vault, where time and space become design.

Raffaello Galiotto

Designer

Trained at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia, he founded his own studio in 1993, orienting his research towards the relationship between design, material and technology. He has developed in-depth expertise in production processes, working with both artificial and natural materials, with particular focus on marble.

He collaborates with numerous companies in the sector, producing products, collections and experimental exhibitions that introduce innovation through the use of digital technology. He is the author of publications and theoretical contributions on lithic design and has taught Design at the University of Ferrara.

Curatorial proposal: MATERIAL CHARISMA

Description: The ongoing interpretative journey of lithic material in construction practice lies between the loss of ancient knowledge and the intense innovative drive generated by technological progress.

The exhibition MATERIAL CHARISMA aims to explore the possible return of stone culture in architecture between opposing tendencies: structural / ornamental, heavy / light, minimalist purist / tactile rough…

A major exhibition opportunity featuring the creation of four stone mock-up installations.

The selected architectural projects, chosen for their particular interpretation of the material charisma of stone, will be selected by Raffaello Galiotto, curator of the exhibition.

Giorgio Canale

Architect e Creative Director, DDM Branding Agency

Graduated from IUAV University of Venice and registered with the Order of Architects of Verona since 2004, he works between Italy, Europe and the United States. His work is characterised by an essential and rigorous architectural language, capable of combining a rationalist approach with experimental research.

Over the course of his career, he has designed corporate architecture, high-end retail, interior design and curatorial projects, transforming brand identities into coherent, distinctive spaces with high aesthetic and functional value.

Curatorial proposal: PANTHEON

Description: PANTHEON is a collective exhibition celebrating the 60th anniversary of Marmomac.

A monumental installation composed of 15 columns, each featuring four slab-based stone materials, for a total of 60 materials sourced from around the world.

Each column brings surfaces, colours and textures into dialogue, creating an architectural landscape that expresses the variety and contemporary strength of natural stone, at the heart of the cultural pavilion as a place of encounter and relationship.

Objective of the cultural exhibitions

The objective is to involve all exhibitors, enhancing materials, machinery and technologies as a single competitive system.

A registration fee applies for participation in the cultural exhibitions, providing a bespoke visibility package inclusive of:

mention in the press conference and press releases
dedicated press office activities
inclusion in the official exhibition catalogue, distributed at the fair
publication in a dedicated section of the event website
visibility through posts and stories on official social channels
professional photo shoot for each exhibition/project
access and invitations to official exhibition presentations and talks

The pavilion benefits from high visibility, both within the district maps and through directional signage. It is characterised by a strong flow of highly qualified audiences: visitors, press, buyers, design delegations, up to the highest institutional representatives.

For more informations:

PATRIZIA PIU

M [email protected]

T +39 045 8298 214

THE BEDROCK

Take part in the cultural exhibitions of Marmomac

The new layout

Curatorial team

Objective of the cultural exhibitions

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