Triennale Milano announces program of 23rd International Exhibition: Unknown Unknowns

July 15–December 11, 2022

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 will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2023, is one of the most important design and architecture exhibitions on the international stage. Every three years, it showcases the most current and innovative research and initiatives, demonstrating fresh thought currents.

“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 theme of the unknown is explored in the 23rd edition, with questions posed regarding the mysteries of the known world and a discussion about “what we don’t know that we don’t know.” Unknown Unknowns proposes a new way of approaching the subject, rather than polarizing it—light/dark, full/empty, science/art—by viewing it as a chance for investigation: from the farthest reaches of the universe to dark matter, from the depths of the oceans to the origins of our conscience. The unknown so becomes a dimension to be experienced, not as a threat to what we don’t know we don’t know, but as a source of surprise when confronted with the enormity of what we don’t know we don’t know.

Unknown Unknowns: An Introduction to Mysteries is a series of exhibitions and projects that brings together 400 artists, designers, architects, and scientists from over 40 countries; 23 international participations, with a strong presence on the African continent, represented by six national pavilions (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda).

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

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.