The 21st edition of the Milan Triennial Exhibition of Decorative Arts and Modern Architecture entitled “21st Century – Design after Design” will be held from April 2 to September 12 this year, twenty years after the last one took place. The exhibition’s theme highlights the opportunities for deeper connections between industry, art and society, with Milan and Italy in their natural role as a laboratory of ideas and innovation in design and industrial applications. In addition, 2016 will be the Year of Design for Italian Institutes of Culture, a fact that attests the foreign network’s commitment to this initiative.
The 2016 Triennial will encompass exhibitions spread out across the Milanese territory, with exhibition areas in notable locations – on top of the Palazzo dell’Arte, where the Milan Triennial is held – such as the Fabbrica del Vapore, Hangar Bicocca, Polytechnic University, Ansaldo Museum of Cultures, IULM University, and the Royal Villa of Monza, which hosted the first International Exhibitions of Decorative Arts from 1923 to 1930. The event will also be bolstered by a synergy with the Salone del Mobile, which will open in conjunction with the Triennial’s inauguration and catalyse the interest of businesses in the sector.
The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) has accredited the Milan Triennial as an “exposition reconnue”, a specific category for international exhibitions held during intervals between two Universal Exhibitions – in this case, Expo 2015 Milan and Expo 2020 Dubai. The BIE’s recognition confers a prestigious institutional status to the Milan Triennial, as it requires that the participants’ profile be a direct expression of the relevant States, that the event follow specific qualitative criteria set by the Convention, and that the exhibition can benefit from special customs arrangements regarding the temporary admission of the exhibited features.
On October 28 last year, Minister Gentiloni presided over a presentation of the Milan Triennial to the Diplomatic Corps in Rome, in the presence of the Secretary General of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Valensise, the Secretary General of the BIE, Vicente Loscertales, and numerous other officials.
The inauguration ceremony of the 21st Milan Triennial will take place in Milan on April 1, 2016.
