Alexandra Midal to Curate the 28th Biennial of Design (BIO28)
BIO28: Double Agent November 2024 – April 2025
In an exciting development, the Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO) is proud to announce the appointment of curator and professor Alexandra Midal as the curator for the 28th edition of the Biennial of Design (BIO). BIO, Europe’s most long-standing design biennial, will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2024 and is organized by MAO in cooperation with the Centre for Creativity (CzK). BIO28, titled Double Agent, is set to take place from November 2024 to April 2025 in Ljubljana.
Alexandra Midal: A Renowned Figure in Art and Design
Alexandra Midal, a professor at the University of Art and Design HEAD in Geneva and Head of the Department of Critical Thinking at Ensci-Les Ateliers in Paris, has been selected as the curator for BIO28. As a distinguished art and design historian, she brings a unique blend of practical and theoretical research to her work, serving as an artist-curator, theoretician, and film essayist. Her research delves into the unexplored corners and gray areas of design history, a focus evident in her recent books, The Murder Factory (Sternberg Press, 2023) and Design by Accident: For a New History of Design (Sternberg Press, 2019).
Midal’s academic journey includes studying literature, architecture, and art history at Princeton University (NJ) and in Paris. She completed her doctoral thesis at Paris Sorbonne while being a Rome Prize recipient in architecture at Villa Medici. Over the years, she has curated a number of international exhibitions on topics ranging from visual culture to design and politics, including exhibitions like Top Secret: Cinema and Espionage and Tomorrow Now – When Design Meets Science Fiction. Furthermore, her films, including Mind’s Eyes, Possessed, and Heaven is a State of Mind, have been screened in museums worldwide.
BIO28: A Platform for Exploration and Engagement
Alexandra Midal, the curator of BIO28, shared her excitement for the event, saying, “I am thrilled to work with the BIO team for the next edition of the Ljubljana Design Biennial. This event provides a unique opportunity to engage in a dialogue on historical and contemporary design issues. My commitment is to illuminate alternative design perspectives and the diverse voices within the field from an international standpoint. I am deeply interested in reevaluating the concept of a Double Agent, which will uncover itself as a narrative linking a seemingly mundane flower to its hidden, cryptic, and secretive role in shaping identities and politics. I am excited to showcase that BIO is not just an exhibition but also a platform, a laboratory for exploration, and a crossroads for research and societal engagement throughout its entire duration.”
Emma Pflieger: Assistant Curator
In addition to Alexandra Midal, Emma Pflieger has been chosen as the assistant curator for BIO28. Pflieger is a French designer and co-founder of the innovative design studio Studio Pflieger-Foeglé. Her studio employs a research-driven cross-disciplinary approach to craft spaces, installations, and graphic design.
A Shift in Design Perspectives
Maja Vardjan, the newly appointed acting director of MAO, expressed enthusiasm for Alexandra Midal’s curatorship, stating, “Since its inception at the height of the modernist movement in Slovenia, BIO has witnessed numerous shifts and developments within the discipline of design. By breaking away from the narrow and strictly disciplinary concept of design, the last four editions of BIO have promoted extensive investigations of various interdisciplinary intersections. Through her groundbreaking research and projects, Alexandra Midal is an uncompromising curator who excels at establishing and maintaining such intersections. Therefore, we are thrilled to have her as the curator of BIO28, scheduled for November 2024.”
Exciting Unveiling Ahead
The unveiling of the BIO28 curatorial framework is scheduled for December 2023. This event will coincide with the launch of an open call inviting designers, creatives, and spatial practitioners to participate in BIO28, as well as a special call for video and filmmakers to take part in the BIO28 Design Film Festival. Stay tuned for further updates as BIO28: Double Agent promises to bring fresh perspectives and creativity to the world of design.
