Es Devlin at Homo Faber 2026 – Photo by Sophia Bennett; all photos are ©Michelangelo Foundation, unless stated otherwise.
Design, Crafts. Like a rising moon, a large, circular shelf full of moon jars emerges from a swimming pool, bathed in soft blue light. This mesmerising installation is the clearest expression of An Island of Light, the theme running through Homo Faber 2026. The biennial exhibition is on show at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini on Venice’s San Giorgio Island, until 30 September.
- RELATED STORIES: Read more about Homo Faber on Archipanic.
A Rainbow of Forms – ©Courtesy of Es Devlin Studio.
Artistic Director Es Devlin has built fifteen distinct scenographies out of light, water, mirrors and movement, stringing them together into a route that puts craftsmanship centre stage. Homo Faber 2026 is curated by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, in partnership with the Fondazione Giorgio Cini and Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte.
A Rainbow of Forms – Photo by Giulio Ghirardi.
Devlin puts it simply: “My wish for Homo Faber 2026 is for visitors to shift their perspective. I hope they will come away with an understanding of the etymology of objects, the hands that make them and the conditions in which they are made. Hopefully, to want to make things themselves, support people who make things, support crafts that are endangered species themselves, endangered cultural intangible heritage.”
A Full Moon – Photo by Sophia Bennet.
“Today, as technology can generate images, imitate voices and reproduce forms with astonishing efficiency, many of us are rediscovering our hunger for authenticity and deeply human values,” says Hanneli Rupert, Executive Vice-Chair of the Michelangelo Foundation. “We continue to seek evidence of the human hand – traces of individuality, imperfection, skill and intention.”
An Alphabet of Objects – Photo by Giulio Ghirardi.
The journey opens with a recreated artisan studio, plunging visitors straight into the rhythm of making. From there, the show moves into a room built around objects as language: light throws the silhouettes of pieces from a rotating cylindrical bookshelf onto the wall, their shadows reading like hieroglyphs, a poetic text written entirely in shape.
An Alphabet of Objects – Photo by Giulio Ghirardi.
A Rainbow of Forms is the showstopper for colour lovers — a mirrored ceiling paired with three tiers of mirrored shelving conjures an infinity effect, spinning a spiral of punchy pieces in bright red ceramics and purple glass off into apparent infinity. Underfoot, an oval rug designed by Devlin herself, drawn from Goethe’s theory of colour, grounds the whole display.
A Great Turning – Photo by Giulio Ghirardi.
Over in the Palladian Cloister, The A Great Turning installation sets a shallow reflecting pool against the cloister’s arches, with a kinetic mirror at its centre that catches and shifts the day’s light. An Infinite Birdsong, meanwhile, takes its cue from Venetian architecture, building a glittering aviary framed by illuminated mirrors that nod to the city’s own arched windows reflected in canal water.
An Infinite Birdsong – Photo by Giulio Ghirardi.
In the Palladian Refectory, A Feast of Light is split by a vertical shaft of light, like a sunbeam sneaking through a cracked doorway. A canopy of delicate papercuts floats above a lightbox table lined with pure white sculptures in porcelain, glass, textile and paper, pulling off a strange, almost ceremonial sense of purity.
A Feast of Light – Photo by Giulio Ghirardi.
Then there’s A Luminous Ark, where Devlin’s drawings of Venetian wildlife take flight in the form of a glowing white swallow suspended overhead. Master artisan Qiuwen Wen fused centuries-old lantern-making and paper-cutting traditions to build it, hand-cutting Tyvek over a hand-forged metal skeleton so that light picks out every last feather.
A Luminous Ark – Photo by Giulio Ghirardi.
Rounding things off, Homo Faber 2026 runs a full programme of talks and workshops — basketry, weaving, origami and more — with the Michelangelo Foundation’s “young ambassadors” on hand throughout to chat about the work and field questions. Off-site events are happening across Venice as well.
Dynamic Bowls, Troubled Waters Blue Velvet Yellow and Red by Egle Einikyte-Narkeviciene – Photo by Sophia Bennett.
“Promoting artisanship, human talent and creativity means promoting freedom of choice,” says Alberto Cavalli, Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation. “Those who dream of artificial intelligence are free to do so, but there are other dreams which have the same right to exist: the dream of being able to name those who create the objects we use; the dream of transforming a talent into a profession; the dream of making one’s hands a tool to change the world.”
Garnet Flame Basket Set by Dale Chihuly – Photo by Alexandre Vazquez.
All photos are by ©Michelangelo Foundation, unless stated otherwise.
Moonflower by Ann Carrington – Photo by Alexandre Vazquez.
Open Vase0225 by Woosun Cheon – Photo by Alexandre Vazquez.
Traditional overflow by Andres Anza – Photo by Alexandre Vazquez.
