Show Not Show turns a press dinner into power critique at Dutch Design Week

The design collective Show Not Show has opened The Table of Power, an exhibition of collectible furniture at the Kruisruimte space in Eindhoven, running within Dutch Design Week 2026 from 17 to 25 October.

The show takes its name from photographer Jacqueline Hassink's 1990s photo series, which documented the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies — empty of people. As in those photographs, a long table stands at the centre of the exhibition as a symbol of institutional authority. A mirror at the far end makes the table appear to stretch endlessly toward the horizon.

Collective members Frank Penders and Luuk van Laarhoven designed the table especially for the exhibition. It is made from sheet metal, cut and bent into a brutalist form, with brushed textures and chromatic gradients.

How did a press dinner become an exhibition?

The idea originated when Show Not Show was invited to host Dutch Design Week's official press dinner.

"Our exhibition space isn't that big," Penders told Dezeen. "So we decided to do something quite simple: instead of fitting a dinner into our exhibition, we made the dinner the starting point for the exhibition."

In Show Not Show's vision, the press represents a site of power in the design industry, influencing what gets seen, discussed and remembered. Guests at the dinner were encouraged to get up from the table to "share the power" — but Dezeen observed that few journalists ever did.

What is on show?

Around the central table, furniture, lighting and textile works fill the room with raw wood, glossy lacquer, sculptural metal and translucent glowing bioplastic. Contributors include collective members Lucas Zito, Marc Meeuwissen, Mokko and Studio Fabius Clovis, plus guest exhibitors Aleksandra Adamchyk, Kilian Vos and Pablo Octavio.

Key pieces include:

• Barricada stools by Meeuwissen — a new angular wooden series made for the dining table seating, using just one tool and one material
• Plywood furniture by Studio Fabius Clovis, its uneven surface highlighted with high-gloss lacquer
• Totemic pendant lights by Zito, 3D printed from bioplastic and playing with unexpected scale
• Waveform drawer by Adamchyk, a sculptural zigzagging piece
• Future Fossils rugs by Vos, hung on the walls with a geological character
• Lapis lounge chair by Octavio, stone-like but squishy

Octavio's curtain-like brushed aluminium room dividers carry a symbolic role: their height gives seated guests greater oversight of the room than those standing, adding to the sense of power imbalance.

Why visibility is the theme

Penders told Dezeen the exhibition continues Show Not Show's practice of using exhibitions to explore aspects of the design world rarely seen.

"Each exhibition offers a glimpse into our world as designers, revealing something that visitors might not normally see or consider," Penders said. "In 2024, we showed our experiments and prototypes. In 2025, we focused on the ideas and concepts behind our work."

"This year, the subject is visibility. Being seen, becoming known and finding recognition for what you create. It is about the relationship between designers, their work and the media that bring it to a wider audience."

Show Not Show launched in 2024 and has exhibited at the Kruisruimte every year since, with presentations abroad at the Design Biennale Rotterdam, Collectible Brussels and Milan design week.

Elsewhere at Dutch Design Week 2026, Boris Acket and Maison the Faux staged the installation Everything Moist Seems Alive at the MU Hybrid Art House, with performances from the Dutch National Opera and Ballet — a reminder that Eindhoven's nine-day programme stretches well beyond furniture.