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Florence Biennale is glad to announce its partnership with The Social Hub, brought to life through an exhibition by Venetian artist and designer Chiara Zhu, winner of the 3rd Prize in Design at the XV Florence Biennale 2025.

The exhibition will be open to the public from February 21 to March 8, 2026, at The Social Hub Florence Lavagnini (Viale Spartaco Lavagnini 70-72). A vernissage will take place on Friday, February 20 at 6 p.m., offering an informal gathering with drinks. The event is free and open to all, with no reservation required.

To further explore the themes of the exhibition, a dedicated talk will be held on Saturday, February 28 at 5:30 p.m. at The Social Hub Lavagnini. Artist Chiara Zhu will engage in conversation with the audience alongside Matteo Carboni, founder of Un Altro Studio who has been working in graphic design for over 25 years, together with Jacopo Celona, General Director of Florence Biennale.

The Exhibition—"On Time"

“In an age defined by speed, On Time invites us to explore time in a playful, visual way. Through ellipses and subtle semantic layers, it encourages us to reclaim our own pace: to reflect, to play, and perhaps to savour the luxury of simply letting time slip away.”—Chiara Zhu

This project is dedicated to time: time as a mysterious force in our lives. We are always seeking for more time, we establish rules and tools to encapsulate it. As Carlo Rovelli says: “what we call time is a complex collection of structures, of layers…” (2017) With a visual metaphorical language, this series based on ellipses and circles that play with the idea of time that we think we encapsulated in our watches, clocks, spheres of measurements. As an omni-present force, it dictates our daily lives in big and small moments...

Starting from the form of the circle, this exhibition builds a cohesive series and a unified visual language centered on a single theme. Each graphic plays with a phrase, expression, or title derived from the word “time,” encouraging viewers to reflect on their own relationship with time.

Biography of Chiara Zhu

Chiara Zhu (b. 1993) is a graphic designer and visual artist. Her approach has been shaped by formative experiences at the advertising agency Metadesign Berlin and world-renowned studios such as Snøhetta (Innsbruck and Oslo), and further refined through academic studies in branding at Goldsmiths, University of London.

For the past three years, she has served as Global Visual Designer at Beta Group, translating commercial strategies into storytelling and creative concepts. In 2024, she founded “justcolors?”, her own brand for visual identity and cultural graphics, where she explores the relationship between text and image through a symbolic, metaphorical, and vibrant style.

Zhu is a professional member of AIAP, some of her work has been recognised with awards at the IDA Awards, Arte Laguna Prize, and the XV Florence Biennale, and she has been exhibited during Milan Design Week.

📍 The Social Hub Florence Lavagnini (Viale Spartaco Lavagnini 70–72)

• Vernissage
— Friday, February 20, 2026 | 6pm
— Free entry, open to all—no reservation required

• Exhibition “On Time”
— From February 21 to March 8, 2026

• Artist Talk
— Chiara Zhu in conversation with Jacopo Celona, General Director of Florence Biennale & Matteo Carboni of Un Altro Studio
— Saturday, February 28, 2026 | 5:30pm

About The Social Hub

The Social Hub is a European hospitality brand that combines traditional hotel stays with a vibrant, community-focused experiences for guests, coworkers, and local residents. Founded in 2012 by entrepreneur Charlie MacGregor, it redefines the role of hotels in cities by creating spaces where people can learn, stay, work, have fun... and above all, connect.

Headquartered in Amsterdam and certified as a B Corporation, The Social Hub is committed to making a positive social and environmental impact. Its unique hybird hospitality model combines premium design hotel rooms for short and extended stays with student accommodation, coworking spaces, meeting and event rooms, restaurants and bars, 24-hour gyms, and publicly accessible areas such as panoramic terraces, parks, and cultural venues.

With over 10,000 rooms across 21 hubs in Europe's most dynamic cities—including Amsterdam (two hubs), Barcelona, Berlin, Bologna, Delft, Florence (two hubs), Glasgow, Groningen, Maastricht, Madrid, Paris, Porto, Rome, Rotterdam, San Sebastián, The Hague, Toulouse, and Vienna—The Social Hub creates inclusive environments that bring diverse communities under one roof.

The Social Hub also runs an extensive social impact program, including the TSH Talent Foundation, supported by its commitment to donate 1% of annual global revenue. Each year, it hosts over 6,000 community-focused events across Europe, fostering new ideas and lasting connections in every city.

Two new hubs are currently in development in Lisbon and Turin. For more information, visit www.thesocialhub.co/.