After the last edition in 2019, entitled Broken Nature, the Palazzo dell’Arte that houses the Milan Triennale is preparing to host the XXIII International Exhibition, which will take place from July 15 to December 11, 2022. The theme of this edition is definitely interesting, Unknown Unknowns. An Introduction to Mysteries. : the works and projects of the 40 participating countries will represent, in fact, reflections on what “we don’t know we don’t know” with the intent, as suggested by Stefano Boeri, President of the Triennale, to give life to a space for discussion, dialogue and comparison between cultures.
The XXIII Milan Triennale Exhibition
What don’t we know that we don’t know? It sounds like a play on words, but it is a most interesting food for thought and really involves every field of study, fromastrophysics to genetics, from theevolution and development of cities to the oceans. Moving through the spaces of the Triennale, the works and installations of designers, architects, artists and performers will allow people to step into a kind of new dimension that aims to overturn everyone’s idea of the world.
The centerpiece and nerve center of the Exposition will be the thematic exhibition Unknown Unknowns curated by Ersilia Vaudo, an astrophysicist at ESA, the European Space Agency: the itinerary, consisting of more than 100 works and site-specific installations, will be a place for dialogue and confrontation and will try to answer the questions posed by the theme. For example, gravity… Who would have thought to compare it to a great designer who shapes everything around us?
In addition to the main one, the spaces of the Milan Triennale will host two other major exhibitions. The first is Real World, curated by the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, a cultural partner of the event, and will host the works of 17 international artists who have confronted the beauty of our planet and the mystery of their perfection. The tradition of the new on the other hand, curated by Marco Sammicheli, director of the Museum of Italian Design of the Triennale, proposes a rearrangement of the museum itself, starting with its collections and the archives of past editions of the Triennale Exhibition and focusing on a characteristic that has always distinguished the work of Italian designers: a courageous approach that is always in search of the new.
Not only that! In fact, the Exposition will also be complemented by installations and projects that, in addition to great artists, musicians and philosophers, will feature the participation of two art historians Giovanni Agosti and Jacopo Stoppa, professors at the State University of Milan, and a film work created by one of the greatest architects and designers of the moment, Andrea Branzi.
The Triennial today
The XXIII International Exhibition of the Milan Triennale fits perfectly with the nature of this institution, which is based in the Lombard capital but has a decidedly international scope and outlook.
In fact, the most diverse languages of art are at home at the Triennale, from design andarchitecture to performance, from cinema to fashion , and without ever forgettingcurrent events in all their facets. How? Here in the Palazzo dell’Arte not only large exhibitions dedicated to design or photography are set up (it is enough to mention just a few of the latest ones created and dedicated to Enzo Mari, Ettore Sottsass or the photographs of Giovanni Gastel), but the Public Program leaves room for many events of a different nature. Between exhibitions, shows, performances, encounters, workshops for adults and children, as well as festivals, this place is a veritable hotbed of research and culture, a space for comparison, thought and growth open to novelty and the most diverse cultures without censorship. One example out of all? Planeta Ukrain, a series of meetings and an exhibition organized to present the Ukrainian pavilion just ahead of the Triennial Exposition.
In addition, no less important is the Project Library, which collects all the materials and documentation produced by Triennale and various funds that have been donated to the institution over time, such as the Alessandro Mendini fund and the Tomás Maldonado fund-a true paradise for designers and architects. And if you’re wondering where all the catalogs and publications relating to individual editions of the International Exhibition converge, you’ll find the answer in the Documentation Center, a specially dedicated section within the archives.
A bit of history: from the Monza Biennale to the Milan Triennale
But let’s take a step back. How and when was the Triennale di Milano born? It is curious to think that the Milan Triennale was born neither as a Triennale nor in Milan, yet today everyone knows it that way! This is another reason why it is worth retracing the history of this institution among the most important in the city of Milan.
We are in 1923, in the midst of the postwar period, and Italy had identifiedindustry as the sector in which to invest, but not a depersonalized industry, but one that was strongly marked by creative design, an element that would give rise to unique products. For this very reason, with the aim of increasingly linking industry, art and society, the First International Exhibition of Decorative Arts was born, set up in the large and beautiful park of the Villa Reale in Monza.
With the 1930s, the International Exhibition underwent some transformations: in 1933 work was completed on the construction of the Palazzo dell’Arte, designed in Sempione Park by Giovanni Muzio, and the event was moved from Monza to Milan , acquiring its own legal personality; the cadence, which until then had been biennial, became triennial, and the focus shifted more towardarchitecture. Under the leadership of figures of the caliber of Gio Ponti, who had built the Torre Branca for the occasion, and Mario Sironi, the full-fledged Triennale that we still know today came to life, and it immediately established itself as a fundamental moment in the city’s cultural life and as a true affirmation of the unity of the arts thanks to the participation of artists such as De Chirico and Carrà. Over time, the link with artists could only increase: it is impossible not to mention the presence of Lucio Fontana, Alberto Burri or Mario Merz.
But it doesn’t end there! The Triennale’s link with the city of Milan has always been very strong, and the most striking example of this is the design and reconstruction of the Triennale District 8 after World War II, what we still call QT8, thanks to Piero Bottoni.
In the following decades, on the other hand, different themes were touched upon: from industrial design in the 1950s, a pivotal moment in the development of Italian Design, to the economic development that literally exploded in the 1960s; it is no coincidence that one of the most interesting exhibitions, the one dedicated to leisure, took place in 1964.
It was, then, in the 1970s and 1980s, that the Triennale also opened its gaze toward fashion and audiovisual languages, positioning itself as a true center of research that was always on the cutting edge and attentive to current issues, a characteristic that has never been betrayed over time and that has always ensured the event’s enormous success.
Branca Tower: a legacy of the Triennial.
Soaring in the center of Sempione Park, Torre Branca is one of the legacies of the International Expositions and precisely of the first Milanese event in 1933. Created as Torre Littoria and built by Gio Ponti entirely in steel, Torre Branca is a true work of art, as well as a great architectural challenge promptly met in the Milan of the time: in fact, it was raised in just two and a half months, reaching a height of 108 m, strictly without exceeding the height of the Madonnina.
After being declared unfit for use, the tower was closed in 1972, until it was purchased by the Branca Brothers, owners of the company of the same name, to restore it and make it accessible again. On the top of Torre Branca stands, in fact, the highest panoramic terrace in Milan, a real living room suspended above the greenery of Parco Sempione and conveniently reachable by a panoramic elevator: the view from here is unique and going up Torre Branca at sunset is one of the most suggestive experiences the city gives us.
Do you want to visit Torre Branca? Check out NEIADE Tour & Events‘ Guided Tour:
Aperitif on the Branca Tower, in the center of Parco Sempione
