Architecture and design: the exhibitions to visit in 2023

The long-awaited Venetian appointment with architecture returns on May 20, opening the doors of the Architecture Biennale this year for the first time led by the African continent. This is the startng point of the Workshop of the Future, the theme and title of the 18th Architecture Biennale curated by Lesley Lokko, chosen for the prestigious task by Biennale President Roberto Cicutto “for her calm certainty that we needed.” The designer and researcher will conduct research in the Venetian lagoon that is characterized by concreteness, constantly referencing the contemporaneity that day in and day out disrupts our daily lives. From 25 May 2023 to 26 November 2023

From 25 May 2023 to 26 November 2023

The 100th anniversary of Triennale Milano will be celebrated in 2023: the institution was in fact founded in 1923 in Monza as the Biennale of Decorative Arts. In the dense calendar, a retrospective exhibition on Angelo Mangiarotti's work will open at the Milan Triennale in January. Curated by Fulvio Irace, the Italian master's career will be analyzed over more than 60 years of activity through a wide selection of works, projects, documents and materials - many of which have never been exhibited before - made available by the Angelo Mangiarotti Foundation. From 27 January 2023 to 23 April 2023

From 27 January 2023 to 23 April 2023

MAXXI in Rome proposes an original reading of archival documents, bringing together different authors and their work with a particular key: the relationship between architecture and artwork. BBPR, Costantino Dardi, Vincenzo Monaco and Amedeo Luccichenti, and Luigi Moretti are the protagonists of the exhibition Architetture a regola d'arte, which stems from the desire to enhance and share the precious materials that in recent years have enriched the MAXXI Architettura Collection, in particular the archives of some of the most important Italian architects of the 20th century. From 7 December 2022 to 15 October 2023

From 7 December 2022 to 15 October 2023

The Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine, in collaboration with the Société du Grand Paris and under the curatorship of Dominique Perrault, will devote a new exhibition to the famous métro connecting the Paris metropolis. The installation will plunge visitors into the heart of the history of the métro, discussing the urban transformations linked to its presence, and involving in any case young and old, unconditional train lovers. The exhibition focuses on mobility and urbanity, bringing together the history of technology, visionary projects and the imaginary world of the métro, projecting the visitor into a new mental map of Greater Paris. The exhibition presents French engineering in the face of the contemporary challenges of the resilient city and the ecological transition. From 2 November 2023 to 28 April 2024

From 2 November 2023 to 28 April 2024

The major London institution will devote a solo exhibition from mid-July on the work of Herzog & de Meuron, who will also collaborate on the curatorial design itself. The exhibition, which embraces an experimental approach, presents a selection of their projects, both complete and in progress. With films and digital experiences, accompanied by models, material samples and prototypes, it will invite us to explore the perception and experience of architecture and the contexts that surround it. From 14 July 2023 to 15 October 2024

From 14 July 2023 to 15 October 2024

Also in London, the Design Museum will host Ai Weiwei's first exhibition dedicated to design, mixing recent works and commissioned pieces, inviting us to a meditation on value and humanity, art and activism. The exhibition takes its cue from Ai's fascination with historical Chinese artifacts, placing their tradition of craftsmanship in dialogue with the more recent history of demolition and urban development in China. The result is a reflection on value, stories and skills that have been ignored or erased. From 7 April 2023 to 20 July 2023

From 7 April 2023 to 20 July 2023

The year 2023 also marks the return of the Chicago Biennial to its fifth edition, this year led by local art collective Floating Museum. A multifaceted group with different artistic and educational backgrounds already the protagonist of innovative, forward-looking projects that harmoniously intertwine art, craft, architecture, education and the sociology of the area. To Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford, Faheem Majeed, Andrew Schachman and Avery R. Young the burden and honor, therefore, of directing the next kermesse, which, kicking off in September 2023, will be structured around the theme This is a Rehearsal. From 21 September 2023 to December 2024

From 21 September 2023 to December 2024

In New York, the Museum of Modern Art will open an exhibition devoted entirely to public space in the US metropolis on 19 February, the first in a new series of exhibitions that will serve as a platform to highlight emerging talent and the most innovative projects in contemporary architecture. “New York, New Publics” will explore the ways in which New York City firms have actively expanded the relationship of metropolitan architecture, offering the chance to view some important recently completed projects, from Adjaye Associates to Agency-Agency, from SO-IL to James Corner Field Operations. From 19 February to 29 July 2023

From 19 February to 29 July 2023

At the Vitra Design Museum, on the other hand, an investigation of the garden as a site of experimentation, an incubator of new political, social and sometimes radical ideas, will open on March 25. What movements and theories have influenced our contemporary garden ideals? How can horticulture contribute to a more sustainable future and a good life for all? The exhibition addresses these and other questions using examples drawn from design, everyday culture, and landscape architecture: from contemporary community gardens to green facades and vertical urban farms, from lawn chairs to gardens created by designers and artists such as Roberto Burle Marx, Mien Ruys, and Derek Jarman.
From 25 March 2023 to 3 October 2023

From 25 March 2023 to 3 October 2023

This interdisciplinary, research-based design exhibition featuring the Italian designer duo Formafantasma will explore the materiality of wool and its economic, cultural, social and biological aspects. The exhibition will focus not just on the design object, but also on the concept of design in a broader perspective. Drawing on both local and international research, the project will offer new insights into materials, production methods and the environment. From 26 May 2023 to 1 October 2023

From 26 May 2023 to 1 October 2023

Following the Triennale's programming, there are also two focuses on the work of two Italian artists from different generations: Lisa Ponti, who made of drawing her expressive medium of choice, and Anna Franceschini, whose body of work will be presented in an unprecedented arrangement. From April 2023

From April 2023

Curated by Chiara Spangaro and Nadejda Bartels, in collaboration with the Fondazione Aldo Rossi in Milan, the exhibition presents over 110 graphic works and drawings by Rossi, most of them for the first time on a public show, divided in three groups: “Corpus Mediolanensis”, coloured and re-drawn single-prints that Rossi made between 1986 and 1987, “Insula”, a series of drawings inspired by models from antiquity and their reinterpretation by Baroque artists such as Giovanni Battista Piranesi and Claude Lorrain; “Works for Berlin”, a city that played a crucial role in the Italian architect’s career. From 4 February 2023 to 14 May 2023

From 4 February 2023 to 14 May 2023

Returning to MoMA New York, Black Power Naps is a project by artists Navild Acosta and Sosa, who trace our culture of constant fatigue to the use of sleep deprivation to control slaves in the United States. Visit this interactive installation to practice rest as a form of reparation for historical and current injustices. The space is designed to look like a ship, lulling you into a state of relaxation on soft mattresses, pillows, rugs and hand-dyed fabrics. Listen to the soothing soundscape around you, watch projected images, and use the traveling artists' library to learn about the politics of rest and rejection. From 19 January 2023 to 16 April 2023

From 19 January 2023 to 16 April 2023

Artist An-My Lê's photographs address the complex fictions that shape the way we justify, represent and mythologize war and other forms of conflict. Lê does not take a directly photojournalistic approach to portraying combat. Rather, with a poetic focus on politics and landscape, he meditates on the meaning of perpetual violence, the environmental impact of war, and the meaning of diaspora. The installation will be a metaphor that invites viewers to reflect on the circularity of time and history, the layering of disparate geographies, and the intimacy that paradoxically arises from conflict. From 5 November 2023 to 9 March 2024

From 5 November 2023 to 9 March 2024

The exhibition traces the evolution of skateboard design from the 1950s to the present. It will feature innovative skateboards and components, as well as photographs and videos about skateboarding, with original soundtracks. Curated and designed by industrial designer and skateboarder Jonathan Olivares, this will be the first exhibition to explore the evolution of skateboard design in such detail. It will trace how the skateboard has adapted to different urban environments, with each decade producing new techniques. It will also present the city through different eyes: urban spaces and street furniture, such as benches, handrails, and fire hydrants, each offer their own obstacles and challenges. From 20 October 2023

From 20 October 2023

Curated by architects Antonio Lavarello and Emanuele Piccardo, the exhibition explores the complex relationship between the city of Genoa and its harbour through drawings, photographs and other unpublished documents that illustrate the central role of Renzo Piano, but also the relevance of several different figures, in the process of deep reshaping of the port area upon the 1992 International Exhibition. extended until 21 January 2023

extended until 21 January 2023