“Looking at the world through the lens of inequality – as we propose for the International Exhibition – reinforces Triennale Milano’s commitment to being a sensor of contemporary issues, while reaffirming its role as a hub for ideas, projects, and solutions to the great challenges humanity has faced in recent decades. Focusing on inequality means addressing the staggering divide between the wealthiest regions, which are most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and yet the least affected by climate change, and the poorer parts of the world, which contribute far less to the problem but endure its harshest consequences, compounding their already severe poverty.”
This is how Stefano Boeri, President and General Commissioner of the International Exhibition, introduced the first forum on the theme of the next Exposition, set to take place from May to November 2025, with a focus on the growing inequalities that define both urban environments and the broader world. Following an introduction by Carla Morogallo, Director General of the Triennale, Boeri opened the day, which featured a keynote by sociologist and writer Richard Sennett. Sennett discussed the “right to the city” and ways to empower citizens in shaping today’s architectural decisions.
International speakers also explored the geopolitical dimensions of inequality, including Gaia Vince, journalist and science communicator; Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director of the Serpentine Galleries; Amos Gitai, artist and filmmaker; Francis Kéré, architect; Kimia Zabihyan, representative of Grenfell Next of Kin, and Nazanin Aghlani, architect and activist; Francesco Billari, Rector of Bocconi University; Donatella Sciuto, Rector of Politecnico di Milano; Federica Fragapane, information designer; Sandro Balducci, professor of urban planning and policy at Politecnico di Milano; Carlo Ratti, architect and director of the MIT SENSEable City Lab (Boston); Alessandra Casarico, professor and scientific coordinator of the SI Lab at Bocconi University; Seble Woldeghiorghis, senior advisor and member of the Black History Months art collective; and Guido Alfani, professor of economic history at Bocconi University.
In the afternoon, the forum shifted focus from geopolitics to biopolitics. Anthropologist Tim Ingold opened the session with his “Manifesto for a New Humanism.” The deep dive into the biopolitical aspects of inequality continued with presentations by Theaster Gates, artist and founder of the Rebuild Foundation; Beatriz Colomina, director and founder of the Program in Media and Modernity at Princeton University; Mark Wigley, professor of architecture and dean emeritus at Columbia University; Matilda van den Bosch, senior researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health and the European Forest Institute; Emanuele Coccia, philosopher and professor at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales; Giovanni Agosti, full professor of art history at the University of Milan; Msgr. Luca Bressan, Presbyter of the Diocese of Milan; Telmo Pievani, professor of philosophy of biological sciences at the University of Padua; Nic Palmarini, director of the UK’s National Innovation Centre Ageing (NICA); Nicola Perullo, professor of aesthetics and rector of the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo; Ersilia Vaudo, astrophysicist at the European Space Agency (ESA); and Paola Antonelli, senior curator of architecture and design and director of research and development at MoMA.
The 2025 International Exhibition, running from May to November 2025, will bring together artists, designers, architects, researchers, and scientists from around the world. It will feature exhibitions, installations, and projects curated by the Triennale Milano, alongside contributions from international participants invited through official government channels under the Bureau International des Expositions, all centered on the theme of inequality.