Paola Antonelli, curator of the XXII Triennale di Milan, on making design accessible to everyone

Culture & lifestyle · Patrizia Scarzella · 2019-03-28

Paola Antonelli of Moma in New York is one of the most influential figures in the field of design. She tells us how the exhibition Broken nature at the Triennale di Milan, of which she is curator, is a natural evolution of her career.

Paola Antonelli is the curator of Broken nature, the major exhibition at the heart of the XXII Triennale di Milan. Senior curator of the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art (Moma) in New York, she trained as an architect and designer, and is among the hundred most influential people in the art world according to Art Review and Surface Magazine. We met her on 27 February at the opening of the exhibition, which explores the relationship between people and the elements of the Planet, and is open until 1 September.

Read also: Broken Nature, the XXII Triennale di Milan explores how to restore our bond with nature

The great animal orchestra a La Triennale di Milano

The great animal orchestra, sound and video installation by Bernie Krause and United visual artists. An immersive journey through seven territories documented by Bernie Krause, chosen for their ecological variety and the richness of their biophony, from Canada to the Central African Republic, from the United States to Zimbabwe, from Brazil to the oceans © Gianluca di Ioia/Triennale di Milano

Bernie Krause e United visual artists, The great animal orchestra, multimedia installation from 2016, duration 1 hour and 32 minutes. Collection Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain © Luc Boegly

L'opera di Oki Naganode e Julia Lohmann a La Triennale di Milano

The work by Oki Naganode and Julia Lohmann inside Broken nature, the XXII international exhibition of the Triennale di Milano © Gianluca Di Ioia/Triennale di Milano

Plastiglomerate all'interno di Broken nature

Plastiglomerate no. 12, 2013. "Plastiglomerate" are mineral formations collected by Jazvak and his collaborators, geologist Patricia Corcoran and oceanographer Charles Moore, on Kamilo Beach, Hawaii. They are a mixture of melted plastic waste and beach sediments: sand, wood and rock. A new material that highlights the consequences of the Anthropocene © Jeff Elstone. Courtesy of the artist and Fierman gallery

All'interno di Broken nature, la XXII Triennale di Milano

Inside the La nazione delle piante pavilion, an educational and immersive exhibition based on the theories of Stefano Mancuso, one of the world's leading authorities in the field of plant neurobiology © Gianluca Di Ioia/Triennale di Milano

Capsula Mundi by Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel, 2003, explores the theme of death through an egg-shaped container made from biodegradable materials, in which the ashes or remains of a deceased person are placed. The capsule is then planted in the ground like the seed of a tree that will become a symbol of remembrance © Francesco D'Angelo. Courtesy of the designers

Inside the Broken nature pavilion, an exhibition created on the occasion of the XXII international exhibition of the Triennale di Milano © Gianluca Di Ioia/Triennale di Milano

Sigil Collective is a collective based in Beirut and New York that explores the metamorphoses of the Arab landscape marked by past and contemporary struggles. Birdsong investigates the relationship between birds, humans, the landscape and the history of Syria. By Khaled Malas, Salim Al Kadi, Alfred Tarazi, and Jana Traboulsi of Sigil with Aamer Ibrahim, Emad Madah and the Fateh Moudarres center for art and culture © Gianluca Di Ioia/Triennale di Milano

Designs for an overpopulated planet-Foragers by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby of Dunne & Raby © Gianluca Di Ioia/Triennale di Milano

Cabinet 1, 2017. The design duo Formafantasma (Simone Farresin, Andrea Trimarchi) set out to explore how design can be used to correct the flaws of the current waste management system. Ore streams, a project begun on the occasion of the triennial of the National gallery of Victoria in Melbourne in 2017, is an in-depth analysis of the waste cycle and a collection of office furniture built from recycled electronic materials. © Ikon. Courtesy of Nicoletta Fiorucci, London and Giustini/Stagetti, Rome with the support of Stimulering fonds and National gallery of Victoria

The pavilion of the Republic of Myanmar, entitled Armonia tra natura e uomo, curated by Mauro Salvemini © Gianluca Di Ioia/Triennale di Milano

French pavilion, produced by the Institut français, entitled De la pensée au visible. Design as a large ring, curated by Catherine Geel © Gianluca Di Ioia/Triennale di Milano

The Haiti pavilion, produced by Fondazione Francesca Rava - Nph Italia, is entitled Kay casa maison home, curated by Mariano Pichler © Gianluca Di Ioia/Triennale di Milano

The Chinese pavilion is called Environmental consciousness in design, curated by Su Dan. Produced by Tsinghua University, Tongji University, College of design and innovation, Shanghai University and the Academy of fine arts © Gianluca Di Ioia/Triennale di Milano

The Italian pavilion, entitled Four elements taking care. The project is curated by the Politecnico di Milano and the installation was designed by architects Ico Migliore and Mara Servetto © Gianluca Di Ioia/Triennale di Milano