Auto-Exotic is the theme of the fourth edition of the Venice Design Biennial, whose exhibition program returns to Venice from May 19th to June 18th, concurrently with the first month of the Venice Architecture Biennial.
On the Edge of Exoticism
The traditional concept of exoticism, steeped in stereotypes, is reconsidered through the lens of design. The fascination with a remote elsewhere, dense with awe, desire for discovery, and a longing for domination, has in recent years shifted to figures, practices, and social spaces that inhabit the less conspicuous ripples of the composite culture to which society belongs.
Artisanal knowledge and hackers, drag queens, a return to the earth, and a return to the deeper meaning of making bread with grandma’s recipe, ChatGPT and briscola, lace and halophyte plant biotechnology: it is no longer so much the distance in space and time that fascinates, but the difference in proximity
The decline of globalization indicates that the limit of the expansion process has been reached: if there is no longer an outside to conquer, the solution is to self-colonize. And never before has this drive been so influential on the work of designers.
As in previous editions, the Venice Design Biennial will explore different declinations of this theme through the group exhibition Auto-Exotic, curated by Francesca Giubilei and Luca Berta, and a series of collateral projects by companies, galleries, and designers who will present their installations in independent spaces. Once again, the goal is to combine the discovery of curatorial-intensive design with the experience of the city, which in Venice means primarily walking, but also boating.
Venice Design Biennial Residency
The main group exhibition will also present the outcome of the Venice Design Biennial Residency, won this year by Australian designer Trent Jansen, who will create his new project in collaboration with Vetralia, publisher of the work.