Under the theme Unknown Unknowns. An Introduction to Mysteries, the 23rd Triennale Milano International Exhibition will open to the public on July 15th until December 11th, 2022, with installations, interventions, and special projects that "question what we don’t know we don’t know". This year's exhibition will display an array of artwork and installations designed by notable architects and designers hailing from 40 countries, such as Francis Kéré, winner of the 2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize, who will design an installation that brings together the voices of Africa and its diaspora.
The thematic exhibition will be curated by Ersilia Vaudo, astrophysicist and Chief Diversity Officer at the European Space Agency. Two major exhibitions will be conceived with the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, and the other curated by Marco Sammicheli, Director of Triennale’s Museo del Design Italiano. A series of special installations and projects involving art historians Giovanni Agosti and Jacopo Stoppa will also be on display, along with musical, cinematographic, and editorial pieces by international artists with the likes of master of architecture and design Andrea Branzi.
At a dramatic moment such as the present one, we believe it is more important than ever to preserve and promote opportunities for dialogue between different countries, cultures, and peoples. This is indeed the aim of the 23rd International Exhibition: to create a space for debate in which curators, artists, designers, architects, scientists, school groups, and collectives from all around the world can meet and freely discuss how to extend the frontiers of our knowledge and reduce the grey areas that still extend across our planet. -- Stefano Boeri, President of Triennale Milano
In support of Ukraine, Triennale Milano has announced in a statement shared across platforms that “War will not triumph over dialogue and interaction”, confirming the presence of the Ukrainian Pavilion at the event. The Triennale will promote a series of events with Ukrainian and international artists, intellectuals, and scientists who are committed to “defending the values of freedom, democracy, and dialogue between peoples across the world”. As for the Russian participation, Stefano Boeri, President of Triennale Milano, has declared that “the invitation to the Russian Government to take part in the international exhibition with a pavilion of its own has been withdrawn”.
The event was originally planned to be held from May until November 2022. It is held in agreement with the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The exhibition has also been made possible by the Advisory Board, which is composed of Hervé Chandès, General Artistic Director, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain; Emanuele Coccia, philosopher and professor at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Joseph Grima, curator, architect and author; Sarah Ichioka, urban planner, curator and author; Mariana Siracusa, designer and researcher; and Weng Ling, curator and founder of Arts Innovation.
