The “United Notions Collaborative Exhibition ‘17” was a beautiful exhibition that invited 20 design studios from all over the world to make a total of 40 artworks for further understanding of cultural practices specific to each culture.

For this exhibition that was held at the New Space Moscow in the Russian capital, Yuta Takahashi, a Japanese design firm, has collaborated with a studio based in Italy, Studio Mut.

Mt. Fuji was chosen as the word to represent Japan, and Yuta Takahashi made an artwork that makes use of white space, which is a design language that represents Japanese notions of beauty. Mt. Fuji is a symbol of the Japanese spirit. Its gently rising form symbolises the deep respect that Japanese people have for nature. And in the background, the sun shines brightly.

The word that the Italian design studio, Studio Mut, chose was Menefreghismo. This means indifference in Italian, a notion represented by a design that portrays a carefree attitude. No respect for rules or morality. The egoistic tendency of not being interested.

Each artwork was made by an artist and a limited edition of one copy. It was then exhibited and sold. The result is an interesting use of black and white to fill with a strong and philosophical meaning, and a fine example of minimalism in design.