MAO is pleased to announce the appointment of curator and professor Alexandra Midal as the curator for the 28th edition of the Biennial of Design (BIO), Europe’s longest-standing design biennial. BIO, which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2024, is organized by MAO in cooperation with the Centre for Creativity (CzK). BIO28, titled Double Agent, will be held between November 2024 and April 2025 in Ljubljana.
Alexandra Midal is 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. A distinguished art and design historian, she combines practice and theory-based research as an artist-curator, theoretician and film essayist. Her research explores the blind spots and grey areas of design history; she has curated a number of international exhibitions about visual culture, design, and politics, while her films have been screened in museums across the globe.
“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.” – Alexandra Midal, curator of BIO28.
In addition, Emma Pflieger has been selected as the assistant curator. She is a French designer and co-founder of the innovative design studio Studio Pflieger-Foeglé.
“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 ground breaking 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.” – Maja Vardjan, the newly appointed acting director of MAO.
The unveiling of the BIO28 curatorial framework is scheduled for December 2023, which will coincide with the launch of an open call inviting designers, creatives, and spatial practitioners, as well as a special call for video and filmmakers to participate in the BIO28 Design Film Festival.