Florence Biennale announces its 30th anniversary theme: time, as a key element of contemporary experience

The Florence Biennale is projecting itself into the future by announcing the theme of its 16th edition, to be held Oct. 23-31, 2027 at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence. The year 2027 represents a significant milestone: it marks the 30th anniversary of the event(1997-2027). A moment that is not only celebratory, but also offers an opportunity to reflect on the role of the Florence Biennale in the international context of contemporary art and design.

The theme Beyond the Sense of Time, which continues the curatorial path developed in recent years by Giovanni Cordoni, fits into this perspective. After investigating the themes of identity and the duality of existence, the focus now shifts to the concept of time, understood as a key element of contemporary experience: “If the media have progressively dissolved the traditional relationship between social experience and physical space, making information ubiquitous and simultaneous, this has happened mainly because they have transformed the way we experience time. Waiting has shrunk, the archives of the past overlap with a continuous present, and distant events unfold simultaneously before our eyes. If our age tends to compress time into a perpetual immediacy, art can restore its depth, reactivating the dialogue between memory and transience, between what lingers and what inevitably fades.”

In today’s society, strongly marked by digital technologies, temporal perception has undergone profound changes: past, present and future overlap in a continuous flux, making experience simultaneous, always accessible and constantly changing. In this context, art and design play an essential role in restoring depth and awareness to our relationship with time.

The theme will develop along three main lines: Memory - the permanence of the past and the construction of identity; Caducity - the awareness of transience and limitation; Eternity - the tension toward what is beyond time. Through these keys, the 16th edition invites artists and designers to explore the link between past, present and future, transforming time into a concrete, visible and shared experience.

In the context of the 30th anniversary, this reflection takes on an even more significant value: questioning time also means looking at the history of the Biennale itself and the responsibility towards future generations. The theme is also proposed as an invitation to rediscover the importance of shared time, intercultural dialogue and the construction of a common future.

The visual identity accompanying the launch of the theme was created by artist and designer Chiara Zhu, winner of the 3rd International “Leonardo da Vinci” Award for Design at the XV Florence Biennale (2025), who was invited to graphically interpret the concept of the upcoming edition.

In addition to the exhibition, the Florence Biennale will offer a rich program of events, including lectures, performances, special projects, international premieres, award ceremonies and educational activities, creating opportunities for artists, designers and the public to meet and discuss different aspects of art and culture, with a focus on the proposed theme.

“On the 30th anniversary of the Florence Biennale (1997-2027), this milestone represents for me, as Director, a source of great pride. In these thirty years we have seen the event grow steadily, edition after edition, consolidating its role in the international panorama of contemporary art and design. The success of the public has been matched by the favor and participation of hundreds of artists, many of whom have found precisely in the Biennale an important opportunity for visibility and affirmation. This anniversary is not only a celebration of the accomplished journey, but also a stimulus to look forward with renewed enthusiasm. We are profoundly happy with this achievement and already at work to create a new edition capable of confirming and surpassing our achievements,” said director Jacopo Celona.

Applications are already open for artists and designers from all over the world to participate by submitting their works in numerous categories, including painting, sculpture, photography, video art, installation, performance, digital art and design in all its forms, from architecture to product design, from fashion to visual communication.

To view the full theme and for more information, you can visit https://www.florencebiennale.org/

Florence Biennale announces its 30th anniversary theme: time, as a key element of contemporary experience

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