When commercial design trade show NeoCon 2017 descends on the Merchandise Mart from June 12–14, some of the industry’s biggest names will converge on the Windy City.

Coinciding with the affair is the appearance of famed multi-disciplinary Italian designer and architect Antonio Citterio—known for his pieces for Vitra, B&B Italia, and other lines—to celebrate the opening of his month-long retrospective at Luminaire, who hosts the creative visionary for a lecture at the MCA on June 13. Ahead of his arrival (just his second-ever visit to Chicago), Citterio shared his thoughts on Chicago design, his forthcoming exhibition, and what the rest of 2017 holds for him.