The most awaited events of 2024

“Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere” is the title of the 60^th edition of La Biennale di Venezia, one of the oldest and most prestigious contemporary art exhibitions. The names of the artists that will take part in it will be revealed in a few days, but in the meantime curator Alessandro Pedrosa, whom we have already introduced, explains the choice of the theme: “First of all, it implies that everywhere we are and go, there will always ben foreigners: they/we are everywhere. Secondly, that regardless of one’s location, deep down, one is always truly foreigners.”

This year, the European Nomad Biannale stops in Barcelona, offering a reflection on the decentralization of contemporary culture in Catalonia. The event unfolds around the metropolitan area of the city, which is divided into three thematic clusters: Balancing Conflicts, Cure and Care, and Imagining Futures. In perfect Manifesta style, the experience does not simply involve exhibiting the contemporary art pieces, but it becomes a unique chance to explore some of the most fascinating historical buildings, among which the majestic Tres Xemeneies (Three Chimneys), which will re-open their doors to the public for the first time. Here, visitors will take a dive into art installations placed both in the striking turbine hall and external areas.

For the 30^th edition of the Armory Show, the event that every year gathers in New York contemporary and modern art galleries from all over the world, three curators have been chosen to interpret the general theme in different ways, linked to present art-historical reverberations and echoes. Eugenie Tsai will curate the Platform section, dedicated to site-specific works and large-scale installations, Robyn Farrell oversees the Focus section, and Lauren Cornell is in charge of the seventh Curatorial Leadership Summit. The fair will be held at the Javits Center, a large exhibition space overlooking the Hudson River in Manhattan.

The positive intent behind this Biennale titled "Ten Thousand Suns" is evident from the curators’ words. They worked "recognizing the profound ecological crises stemming from colonial and capitalist exploitation but refusing to give in to an apocalyptic vision of the future." Their efforts aimed to curate an exhibition that presents opportunities for "a future that is not only possible but necessary, to be lived in joy and wholeness." In collaboration with Fondation Cartier, partner for this event, 14 artists from local indigenous communities were commissioned to create new works specifically for this occasion.
With this optimistic perspective, the White Bay Power Station, a former power facility built between 1912 and 1917 in the Bays West district, is set to reopen after more than a century. The renovated will serve as a new cultural center.

After taking part in the Collateral Events of the Biennale Architettura 2023 in Venice, the EUmies Awards will be held as part of this year’s Barcelona Architecture Week. While the finalists have already been announced, we will have to wait until April to find out which ones are the best-built architectural works in Europe from the last three years. The awards ceremony at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion held in May will mark the beginning of a series of related events, including panels, lectures, and the exhibition dedicated to the 40 finalist projects. 

Korean architect Minsuk Cho and his Mass Studies firm were selected for the design of the 23^rd pavilion of the Serpentine Galleries in London, which will open its doors, like every year, at the beginning of the summer season. Titled “Archipelagic Void”, the project was developed around a central void that echoes the Korean tradition of madang, a small courtyard found in old Korean houses, designed to host different outdoor activities. Each one of five “islands” that define the project’s circumference has a specific function and they will be specifically decorated to fit the exhibitions they will host.

The annual architecture festival that exhibits and awards projects from all over the world will take place once again in the suggestive resort of Marina Bay Sands overlooking Singapore Bay. Forty-four awards will identify key players of the contemporary scene in four different fields: Completed Projects, Future Projects, Inside, and Landscape. For the 2023 edition and its “Catalyst” theme, panels, lectures, and other events were held throughout the city.

The Malaysian capital will host the 2024 UIA International Forum. The theme of the event could only be tide to Malaysia multiculturalism: “Diversecity” will address topics such as humanity, cultural heritage, and equity. Kuala Lumpur itself and its stratifications are analyzed as a case study for their balance, not an easy goal for such a heterogeneous city. This reflection on the sustainable growth of cities will take place withing the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, a huge event building overlooking the famous Petronas Twin Towers.
On the last day of the events, the participants will have the opportunity to take a guided tour of the capital.

Those who want to attend the 2024 Milan Design Week will have to trot around the huge spaces of Rho Fiera and the countless events throughout the city. The theme of this year’s Fuorisalone is “Materia Natura” (Matter Nature), which It aims at promoting projects that are increasingly focused on sustainable solutions and that reflect on the relationship between the natural element and its human manipulation. After last year’s positive response of the visitors to the Euroluce showcase, the Salone del Mobile strives to optimizing the fair experience by employing the same design team and making use of neurosciences, which the Lombardini22 studio applied to redesign the layout this year’s edition.
Lastly, Salone Satellite celebrates its 25^th anniversary and will be featured in a major exhibition at the Triennale Milano.

In late 2023, we witnessed the announcement of the first edition of this Biennial, which will be held within Msheireb in the Doha Design District. For its debut edition, more than 100 designers representing the excellence of the Mena (Middle East and North Africa) region are expected to attend. In fact, the event aims to promote and showcase local design, from graphic design to fashion, from product design to city planning. "The energy of this region is extraordinary, and Doha has quickly become a global design destination," claims Glenn Adamson, American curator who is in charge of artistic direction. After the first opening week, from 24 to 28 February, the scheduled exhibitions will be open until 5 August 2024.

The annual NYCxDesign festival takes place over eight days in all five boroughs of New York City. Including exhibitions, talks and presentations, more than 260 events were held last year for a total of more than 160,000 attendees. One of the most anticipated moments is the staging of “Pavilion Design,” a series of installations scattered throughout the city: in addition to presenting their creations, designers are encouraged to actively engage the public, creating an immersive and interactive experience.

Renowned for its strong innovative orientation, the Dutch Design Week is the largest annual design event in Northern Europe, with a special focus on the work and development of young talent. While the program may not be widely recognized yet, the event transforms the city of Eindhoven for a week, filling it with exhibitions, studio visits, workshops, seminars, and themed parties.

Among the catastrophic events and massages of home, every year the contest of photojournalism and documentary photography contest shows the most significant images about what is happening on our planet. Precisely with transparency and authenticity in mind, the World Press Photo Foundation has made the decision to ban the use of AI, leaving only a minimal margin for post-production.
Following the announcement of the winners, the Flagship World Press Photo Exhibition 2024, a traveling exhibition that takes the awarded photographs around the world, will start in Amsterdam on April 19^th.

Around the same time, the World Photography Organization will announce the winners of its prestigious and globally acclaimed photography competition. Following the controversy surrounding the “fake photo,” generated by AI, that won the Open category in 2023, much anticipation surrounds this year’s jury selections. The exhibition with the selection of the best photos will be open from April 19^th to May 6^th at Somerset House in London.

Despite short films never having enjoyed the same resonance among the general public as movies and TV series, they undoubtedly represent a format open to creative exploration. The Cleveland International Film Festival stands out for being one of the few festivals around the world that qualify their short movies for the Oscars for the categories of fiction, animation, and documentary. Five theaters at Playhouse Square, the not-for-profit performing arts center in Cleveland (Ohio), will be the stage for screenings of the festival’s winning films. For this year’s edition, in addition to film screening, there will be interactive events with the directors, after-screening Q&A sessions, panels, and other special events.  

For the past ten years, the Milan Fashion Film Festival has been celebrating the importance of Milan as a global fashion icon through interesting short movies that highlight the synergy between cinema and fashion. It is an artistic platform that awards directors, designers, and brand from all over the world, from major names to up-and-coming artists, within and inclusive atmosphere in which “the big helps the small.” The program of this 10^th edition hasn’t been announced yet, but we know that the event, as per tradition, will be free and accessible to all in digital form.

That Sónar is not just a music festival is now beyond doubt. With last year’s edition, we "saw" music through the experiments of artists such as Eric Prydz and Daito Manabe. For this edition, the full program is still unknown but what we do know is that music will intersect with technology once again in a multitude of performances: from Charlotte de Witte with Overdrive to Team Rolfes with 321Rule in virtual reality to David Gruber, founder and director of Ceti (Cetacean Translation Initiative), who, in the +D section dedicated to innovation, will reveal how he is translating sperm whale conversations using artificial intelligence.

Interactive installations, immersive shows, live performances; this is what you will find at the Bright Festival in Florence, which combines electronic music with digital art and lighting design. The initiative is young, dating back only five years, but in just two editions it has already expanded its boundaries to Leipzig, Germany. The Leopolda, a former train station from the late 1800s, and The Social Hub, a hotel that promotes co-living and co-working spaces, will be the stages for this event.

Celebrating its 100th anniversary in September, the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin stands as the largest exhibition dedicated to consumer electronics. This event is an important showcase for the latest innovations in the electronics industry, with a history of being the primary stage for presenting tech products. Despite the growing tendency among some companies, especially in the smartphone industry, to hold separate events, the fair continues to maintain its relevance as a benchmark for anticipating the technology trends we will see in the future.

Since its inaugural fair in 1897, through the introduction of compact cars in the 1920s and 1930s, to the challenges of the automotive crisis of the 1970s and today’s electric cars, the IAA boasts a rich history, firmly establishing itself as one of the most significant events in the European mobility scene.
In addition to welcoming the major players in the global automotive industry – including the much-discussed debut of Tesla – last year, the IAA hosted the design projects from many new companies related to sustainable mobility, confirming itself as a fair dedicated to innovation and cutting-edge transportation solutions.