Translating the identity of a Ducati motorcycle into an abstract three-dimensional form, capable of being immediately recognisable without ever becoming a literal representation. This challenge gave rise to the XDiavel Art Project, a collaboration that involved students from NABA’s Design Area in a direct dialogue with the language of one of the world’s most iconic symbols of Italian motorcycle engineering.
The project brings design, mechanics, and art into conversation, transforming key concepts such as speed, control and power into material, colour and visual rhythm. At the centre of the research lies the XDiavel V4: a motorcycle that, in itself, is already a design object. Sculpted surfaces, a steel fuel tank, exposed mechanics, and a constant balance between strength and elegance become, through the eyes of a creative designer, fertile ground for a conceptual and unconventional reinterpretation.
From this point, Ducati’s initiative took shape, involving its network of Italian dealerships, which were invited to select local artists and designers — including NABA students — tasked with interpreting the character of the XDiavel V4through their own individual sensibilities. The aim was to create a collection of unique works, capable of conveying the spirit of the motorcycle without ever reproducing it in a flat or literal way.
The selected projects were presented to a Ducati jury, responsible for identifying the most significant interpretations, which were then destined to be exhibited in the brand’s most emblematic spaces, starting with the Ducati Museum.
The installation created by students from NABA’s BA in Design and MA in Product and Service Design — Matteo Bragalini, Carlo Cipolla and Tommaso Chiusi — and developed under the guidance of Claudio Larcher (NABA Design Area Leader) and Sofia D’Andrea (Design Academic Assistant), was selected by the jury for a double presentation: first at the Ducati showroom in Milan during a private event, and later at the Ducati Museum, where it remained on display until February 2026.
