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La Triennale di Milano is pleased to unveil plans for a new era of the renowned cultural institution under the leadership of recently elected President, Stefano Boeri. Boeri and his team of curators intend to bring the institution back to its traditional, celebrated roots; through inspiring exhibitions, provocative conversation, and coordinated programming, La Triennale will be positioned once again as the global centre for important international dialogue between culture, economics, society, arts and industry.
Founded in 1933, La Triennale di Milano was intended to be the apex where art, industry, and politics converged. Some of the greatest minds of the time, including Ponti and Sironi, have been part of the institution. Under Boeri’s governance, the aim is to bring La Triennale back to this important centre point and change the definition of what it is to be a cultural centre; instead of a staid institution that has no connection to modern society, La Triennale will be a place of reflection and debate, connected with the contemporary culture in a dynamic way that offers new points of view on topics that lie at the very core of our global society. In the coming months, in order to bring the institution back to this era not only in spirit but in physical form, the Palazzo dell’Arte will be restored to the original rationalist architecture envisioned by Giovanni Muzio.
“I believe we are at a time in society where open and honest communication is not only necessary, but revolutionary,” says Boeri. “When governments and political systems are no longer a reference point for progress, we look to other places, such as creative institutions, to facilitate that dialogue. My vision is to bring La Triennale back to its traditional roots as this type of place—where differing points of view are considered and controversial topics are discussed.” La Triennale will see a renewal across all parts of the institution, creating a true multidisciplinary center; an international reference for design, architecture, arts, and theatre. Notable curators and partners are working with La Triennale on programming that will transform the institution.
International Exhibition
The XXII Triennale di Milano will open in March; Broken Nature, curated by Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art, is an in-depth exploration of the strands that connect humans to the natural environment and that have been intensely compromised, if not entirely severed over the years. By casting a wide net on architecture and design projects, the exhibition will underline the concept of restorative design, and highlight objects and concepts at all scales that reconsider humankind’s relationship with their environment, which includes both natural and social ecosystems.
Permanent collection of Italian design
The next part of this larger vision for La Triennale is to engage and enliven the institution’s permanent collection of Italian design. Curator, designer and current Creative Director of Design Academy Eindhoven, Joseph Grima has been selected to lead this effort as Curator for Design, Fashion and Craft. La Triennale’s permanent collection boasts more than 1,600 of the most iconic objects of Italian design in the entire world, including the famous Lettera 22 typewriter by Marcello Nizzoli for Olivetti (1950), the Moka coffee maker by Renato Bialetti (1933), the Superleggera chair by Gio Ponti (1957), the Arco lamp by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni (1962), the Falkland lamp by Bruno Munari (1964), the Proposta per un’autoprogettazione series by Enzo Mari (1973), the Poltrona di Proust armchair by Alessandro Mendini (1978), the Ghost armchair by Cini Boeri (1987), I Feltri armchair by Gaetano Pesce (1987), the Revers chair by Andrea Branzi (1993), and the HER chair by Fabio Novembre (2008), to name a few.
Through their innovative technology and forms, their aesthetic qualities and experimental nature, these objects collectively create a narrative about Italian design—past, present and future. The depth of the collection also shows the economic, social, political, and technological changes in Italy over the last two centuries. Based on the power of these objects, Grima is looking to create a flexible and dynamic exhibition format that will allow visitors to enjoy new forms of storytelling through these pieces, and interpret them in their own way. A esteemed board, comprised of some prominent figures in Italian architecture and design, has been formed to support the future development of the Permanent Collection. Part of their role is to define what is Italian design in today’s global context. “The Triennale is the natural home of Italian design, which is universally recognised for its excellence,” said Grima. “I want to create situations and settings where visitors can see familiar objects in new and unexpected ways, allowing them to interpret freely and draw their own conclusions.”
Architecture, urban regneration, city
Lorenza Baroncelli, Curator for Architecture, Urban Regeneration and City, will focus on a series of exhibitions and explorations of topics that challenge contemporary cities such as migrations, urban growth, population development, and informal settlements.
Moreover, thought-provoking exhibitions will be presented throughout the year
–Enzo Mari - A retrospective: curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist will be dedicated to the work of one of the most prestigious Italian designer of the late 20th century.
–Carlo Aymonino: the exhibition will present the project of the famous Italian architect and urban planner who tackled the fundamental problems raised by the shift from the Modern Movement to the engagement with complexity and the beauty of the real-life, historical, and contemporary city.
–Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG): La Triennale will celebrate the first exhibition in Italy dedicated to the Bjarke Ingels Group, an international architecture studio based in Copenhagen and founded in 2005 by Bjarke Ingels.
Due to the global impact of the topics, the architecture programme will collaborate with some of the most prestigious museums in the world and academic institutions on an open dialogue and shared content.
Performance
The Triennale Teatro dell’Arte is continuing its mission to create a cultural programme which, in line with the overall rejuvenation of La Triennale di Milano, is unlike anything to be found in the city—an international centre devoted to the performing arts that is an open place, in constant dialogue with the other driving forces behind culture in Milan and Italy. Under the leadership of Umberto Angelini, the theatre will host the 2nd edition of FOG Triennale Performing Arts Festival (March-June, 2019), as well as other festivals produced by La Triennale di Milano (JAZZMI, TRI.P, Milano Arch Week, RadioCity Milano, Milano CalcioCity) and in partnership with other important institutions.
The Urban Center
The intense collaboration between La Triennale and the City of Milan have led the local government to choose the Palazzo dell’Arte as the headquarters for the Urban Center, an inclusive space in to encourage dialogue around urban planning and city issues. Thanks to exhibitions, talks, and workshops, the Urban Center will promote a reflection on the transformation and development of the city, in relation to the Triennale’s cultural activity. To create the new Urban Center, the Triennale organized an invitation to tender in collaboration with the Order of Architects, Planners, Landscapists, and Conservators of the Province of Milan.
Radio Triennale
The Triennale di Milano is a hub capable of connecting languages, arts, trades, professionalism, and people. To reinforce its vocation as a collector of a variety of experiences, the Triennale plans to create a new radio project—a broadcast that not only describes the institution’s cultural activities, but that will also share information on the arts in Milan and around the world. In collaboration with RadioCity Milano, a festival that reaches thousands of people on live radio, Radio Triennale is at the service of culture and the city’s institutions.
