Unknown Unknowns: An Introduction to Mysteries

Triennale Milano presents the program of the 23rd International Exhibition, entitled Unknown Unknowns: An Introduction to Mysteries, that will take place from July 15 until December 11, 2022.

The Triennale Milano International Exhibition, which in 2023 will celebrate 100 years since its foundation, is one of the most important events devoted to design and architecture in the international field. Every three years it presents the most relevant and innovative researches and projects, displaying new currents of thought. 

“The 23rd International Exhibition aims to be a platform for dialogue and research, an opportunity for exchanges and encounters involving artists, designers, architects, curators, schools and collectives, as well as cultural institutions, museums and research institutes coming from all over the world. This plurality of points of view will allow us to expand our gaze to encompass what we do not yet know we don’t know. At a time as dramatic and complex as the current time, we believe that it is more important than ever to preserve and promote the exchange of ideas, experiences and reflections between different countries and different cultures” states Stefano Boeri, President of Triennale Milano.

The 23rd edition addresses the theme of the unknown, asking questions about the mysteries of the known world, and opening up a discussion concerning the issue of “what we do not know that we don’t know.” Unknown Unknowns puts forward a new way of looking at the topic, not by means of polarizations—light/dark, full/empty, science/art—but as an opportunity for investigation: from the furthest universe to dark matter, from the bottom of the oceans to the origin of our conscience. The unknown thus becomes a dimension to be experienced, no longer in opposition to what we do not know that we don’t know, but as an element of surprise faced with the vastness of what escapes us.

Unknown Unknowns: An Introduction to Mysteries takes the form of a constellation of exhibitions and projects, and brings together 400 artists, designers, architects, and scientists from more than 40 countries; 23 international participations, with a strong presence on the part of the continent of Africa, represented by 6 national pavilions (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda).

The mains curators of the manifestation are Ersilia Vaudo, astrophysicist and Chief Diversity Officer at the European Space Agency (ESA), and Francis Kéré, founder of Kéré Architecture and winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2022. In line with the tradition of Triennale’s International Exhibitions, the 23rd edition will include the thematic exhibition, curated by Ersilia Vaudo, and a section dedicated to the international participations, invited under the auspices of the Bureau International des Expositions, through government channels. Francis Kéré will design the display installations in the common areas of Triennale and will curate two installations dedicated to the voices of the African continent.

Together with the thematic display, the 23rd International Exhibition will also host two major exhibitions: Mondo Reale, curated by Hervé Chandès, General Artistic Director of the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, and La tradizione del nuovo, curated by Marco Sammicheli, Director of Triennale’s Museo del Design Italiano. There will also be a series of installations and special projects that will see the involvement of the art historians Giovanni Agosti and Jacopo Stoppa, the musician and writer Francesco Bianconi, the philosopher Emanuele Coccia, the researcher and lecturer at the Politecnico di Milano, Ingrid Paoletti, the artist and Triennale Grand Invité for 2021-2024 Romeo Castellucci, and a master of architecture and design, Andrea Branzi.

The whole program is available on triennale.org.