Triennale di Milano, the 24th International Exhibition kicks off with 'Inequalities'
A life-size papier-mâché blue whale welcomes you at the entrance to the Triennale di Milano . Created by Jacopo Allegrucci , it is a work destined to slowly crumble under the sun, rain and wind. A poetic and dramatic symbol of climate urgency, of the disappearance of species, of environmental injustice. It is the threshold image of “Inequalities”, the 24th International Exhibition that opens to the public from tomorrow, May 13, and will remain open until November 9, 2025.
The theme: inequalities as a global challengeAfter "Broken Nature" (2019) on sustainability and "Unknown Unknowns" (2022) on the mysteries of the universe, the Triennale ideally closes a trilogy by addressing a profoundly human and urgent theme: the inequalities that cross our time. Economic, environmental, cultural, ethnic, gender and geographical. “Inequalities” is a collective project that aims to tell these fractures through exhibitions, installations, events and national pavilions.
The 24th International Exhibition is divided into 10 exhibitions, 8 special projects and 20 international participations . In total, it involves 341 authors from 73 countries, coordinated by 28 curators. The installations, designed by six studios including Abnormal, GISTO and Midori Hasuike, occupy 7,500 square meters. It is the only cultural event in the world permanently recognized by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which has entrusted the role of General Commissioner to President Stefano Boeri.
Among the protagonists of the 2025 edition are leading figures of the international cultural scene: Norman Foster (winner of the Pritzker Prize), Beatriz Colomina, Mark Wigley, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Theaster Gates, Amos Gitai. Among the projects, the Norman Foster Foundation exhibition on the housing crisis stands out, with two prototypes of shelters in 1:1 scale designed for emergency situations such as Indian slums or refugee settlements.
Talking about cities, bodies, lives“Inside the halls of our Triennale, for six months we will talk about inequalities – the words of Stefano Boeri –. We will do so by talking about cities and spaces , but also about bodies and lives. We will talk about ghettos and wars , but also about good ideas and policies capable of transforming inequalities into fertile differences. Triennale Milano does not pretend to exhaust the theme, but to suggest reflections and propose solutions”. For the first time, five Milanese universities , Università Statale, Bicocca, Bocconi, Cattolica and Politecnic, are collaborating on the Triennale. Over twenty international institutions are involved, including Princeton, Columbia, Serpentine Gallery, Arctic Center. The Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico is also participating in the project, to underline the link between inequalities and health.
The inauguration and the Bee AwardsThe inaugural ceremony took place today, May 13, 2025, with institutional and academic interventions, from the Vice President of the Council Antonio Tajani to the Mayor Giuseppe Sala , from the Rector of the Polytechnic Donatella Sciuto to the Nobel Prize for Economics Michael Spence . During the event, the Bee Awards were assigned, with recognition for the project Two Faces of the Same Coin (We the Bacteria), the Lebanon Pavilion (And from My Heart I Blow Kisses to the Sea and the Houses) and the Puerto Rico Pavilion (Había una vez y dos son tres), among others.
“Inequalities – said Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the BIE – is a crucial opportunity to explore not only existing gaps, but also potential paths towards a more balanced and inclusive future”.
Info and opening hours: triennale.org
Il Giorno
