The Triennale Milano International Exhibition returns this year with a bold and urgent theme: “Inequalities.” The 24th edition of this historical event, held first in Milan in 1933, will explore the disparities that shape our world through an intriguing mix of exhibitions, video installations, film, theater and performances. This is about opening the aperture, expanding our view so we can better understand the complexities of our modern dilemmas, and collectively look for solutions.
The chosen theme completes a trilogy of ideas explored in past editions—sustainability in “Broken Nature” (2019) and the mysteries of the universe in “Unknown Unknowns” (2022)—by shifting the focus to the human scale. The idea is to unpack the theme through two key areas: the geopolitics and biopolitics of inequality, while tackling topics such as gender and biological determinism, access to housing and infrastructure, the digital divide, climate crises and biodiversity.
Starting in May, the Triennale will bring together a diverse cast of artists, architects and thinkers from 43 countries. The program will feature Theaster Gates, the American interdisciplinary artist known for his social practice, who will explore inequalities by looking at lost and rediscovered crafts. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the Ettore Sottsass Casa Lana (the fantastic interior permanently housed at the Triennale Milano) made into a research hub with the vast collection of Japanese ceramics from Tokoname—a town renowned for its ancient pottery traditions.
Architects Norman Foster, Kazuyo Sejima and Elizabeth Diller will explore how design can shape urban spaces to foster greater equity and improve quality of life. The Triennale is also involving influential academics Beatriz Colomina (Princeton) and Mark Wigley (Columbia), as well as Black History Month Milan, while adding to the dialogue is Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director of London’s Serpentine Galleries, for a thought-provoking reflection on the inequalities that define contemporary life.
Meanwhile, starting in October and curated by Umberto Angelini, the performative program will bring together artists from diverse geopolitical and demographic backgrounds, creating what the planners hope to be a lively visual conversation that weaves together multiple perspectives on the central theme of “Inequalities.”
I spoke with president of Triennale Milano, architect Stefano Boeri, to gain insight into how he envisions the exhibition evolving over its six-month run.
Nargess Banks: The overarching theme, “Inequalities,” invites a wide range of conversations. Can you delve into some of the key themes the Triennale decided to explore?
Stefano Boeri: We have tried to select what we believe are the right perspectives to describe “Inequalities” from different points of views. We talk about cities and spaces, but also bodies and lives. We will do so through a series of exhibitions that will show how immense riches are today in the hands of a minute handful of individuals. And how, today, being born poor has become an irreversible condition for millions. We will do this by showing how inequalities—the ones we are born with and the ones we encounter or even create over time—affect the life and health expectations of each of us. We will talk about ghettos and wars, the ultimate expression of inequality—so rigid, so profoundly unjust—that it turns into a cruel device of death.
Banks: I get the sense that the Triennale is also an opportunity for collective action in offering both ideological and tangible solutions.
Boeri: We do not pretend to exhaust the theme but rather, as Triennale Milano has always done, to encourage reflection and propose some solutions. Throughout the exhibitions, you will encounter good ideas, thoughtful policies, and the best projects that sometimes know how to transform inequalities into futile differences, into shared qualities that allow individuals, though different, to exchange values and mutually enrich each other.
Banks: In some of the past editions, the Triennale has played a pivotal role in bringing urgent conversations to the global stage. How do you see the creative community’s role in shaping these critical dialogues, and how has the landscape evolved over time?
Boeri: I believe there is a tremendous need for dialogue, as well as for cultural diplomacy. This is very important. How can we connect with institutions working on the same issues in other parts of the world? And this is a way to jump all the geopolitical barriers that we now have.
And from this perspective, what we see now is completely different from what we were used to. When we produced these international exhibitions 10 or 20 years ago, the goal wasn’t to overcome barriers but simply to establish connections. Everything was easier, and the world felt smaller. The dialogues were sometimes stronger, but in terms of numbers, they were absolutely fewer.
Banks: These are complex subjects, some highly charged and political, while others tackle more universal themes of aging, health, disabilities, education, poverty. How do you see the Triennale communicating these ideas to outside these walls and to a global audience?
Boeri: One aspect is through the visualization. We’ve involved (design consultancy) Pentagram who are working with (information designer) Federica Fragapane. She has been transforming complex data into visually engaging narratives with “Shapes of Inequalities,” with her drawings translated into three-dimensional models.
For the next six months, we will be hosting daily exhibitions alongside our theater program and a sequence of shows and performances, all of which will have “Inequality” as their focus. We will also spread these ideas through newspapers and our social media channels. Starting in May, we are working with the New York Times and Artforum, as well as five local universities involved in the projects.
Banks: Tell me about some of your highlights?
Boeri: Opening the exhibition, immediately to the right at the entrance of the building, will be the 12-minute film by Israeli filmmaker and artist Amos Gitai. This is a discussion on conflict and the difficulties of cohabitation. Then on the other side of the entrance, we have a film about the tragedy and social injustice of Grenfell Tower (the fire that occurred on June 14, 2017, in a housing project in West London, resulting in 72 deaths and the destruction of many lives). These are powerful films that offer hope.
We are also working with Steve McQueen to bring his powerful “Grenfell” to the Triennale this autumn (the artist’s film is currently traveling across the UK). To me, it is an absolute masterpiece, and we want to highlight and make visible the trial for the victims of this tragic fire, which is, sadly, still ongoing.
On the main staircase is “471 Days” by the artist Filippo Teoldi, an installation that explores the war in Gaza through data, transforming statistics into a visual and tangible experience by proposing a three-dimensional installation. The visualization is incredibly strong. We believe this is symbolic of our topic.
The exhibition “Republic of Longevity” (curated by Nic Palmarini, director of the UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing and Marco Sammicheli, director of Museo del Design Italiano of Triennale Milano) will also be exciting because the idea is to offer suggestions, using design and furniture in this case. I’m very curious to see how it turns out, and I’m expecting something quite unique.
Banks: The themes are often about stating the difficulties, yet seeing the opportunities—widening the lens to explore better futures.
Boeri: Yes, I’m looking forward to seeing what Bocconi University, for example, is going to do with a group of local Black artists about the paradox of Milano. This city is attractive from certain points of view, but it is not at all inclusive. We attract young researchers, designers and students from all over the world, but we don’t provide them with the right expectations in terms of where to stay, how to survive the crazy costs of living, and so on. That’s a typical paradox of the city. Milano is now competing as a global city, but still has steps to take.
Banks: It seems to me that you allow the Triennale to remain open to new dialogues and interventions that may happen along the six months of its duration. Is being porous critical to the exhibition, and could I ask what is your hope with the 24th Triennale?
Boeri: Yes you are absolutely correct. What do we hope? We hope to confirm our role as a hub for cultural dialogues. Then maybe give some very simple, but at the same time profound suggestions of how to survive in different ways and through different lenses.
Banks: Do you see Milan as the perfect city to host the Triennale, this being such a dynamic and unique space of so many contradictions as we discussed earlier?
Boeri: Yes, Milano is a laboratory because it’s a small metropolis. It’s very small, but it has an amazing density of institutions, universities and public hospitals. Milano is a unique city compared to others of the same size. And due to its size, it’s not complicated to see what’s happening.
Banks: We’re living in a volatile time in history, not only geopolitically, but the health of our planet is in crisis. All of which, paradoxically, is leading to much more interesting and complex conversations. Do you have hope that through these cultural exchanges we can help make change?
Boeri: Yes, I have hope. For instance, just seeing “No Other Land” (the documentary film co-directed by Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham), a film that directly references what’s happening, winning a prize at this year’s Oscars, gives me hope. It’s a demonstration that, from a cultural point of view, you can, let’s say, directly touch on some very delicate and critical issues. From that point of view, I think that’s our role, and for sure, we should all have hope.
The 24th Triennale Milano International Exhibition will be held at Triennale Milano, Italy from May 13 to November 9, 2025.
Read my 2024 year in art. For more articles on art and design, visit my page here.