FB

23-31 October 2027

Fortezza da Basso, Florence

The Florence Biennale announces the first confirmed Guests of Honour for its XVI edition — the 30th anniversary of the event — scheduled to take place at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence from 23 to 31 October 2027. This edition will look back on its past achievements, while keeping its focus on the future. The theme of the upcoming edition, "Beyond the Sense of Time - Memory, Caducity and Eternity in Contemporary Art and Design", invites artists and designers to reflect on the transformation of the experience of time through the dimensions of memory, transcience and eternity. Time will not merely be a curatorial theme, but a living matter of relationships, returns, new collaborations and shared projects.

Among the first confirmed participants is Stormie Mills, an Australian artist and one of the most recognisable voices on the international urban art scene, who has previously worked with the Florence Biennale on a major public art project in Florence. In 2018, thanks to a collaboration between the Florence Biennale and the City of Florence, Mills created the mural The Lost Giant in the city, part of his "lost giants" series; but after the artwork has been damaged, the artist returns to Florence to intervene once more at the same site, transforming the incident into a symbol of continuity and creative resilience. For the XVI Florence Biennale, Mills is developing a special exhibition project in dialogue with the theme of this year’s edition.

The XVI Florence Biennale will also welcome back the Iranian artists Partin Bastan & Marjan Najafi, who worked on the special project "I Am Mahsa. Women, Life, Freedom" at the XIV Florence Biennale in 2023. On that occasion, the two artists created a live clay model of Mahsa Amini’s face, which became the starting point for a broader artistic and civic journey leading to the bronze casting of the work, unveiled at the seat of the Tuscany Regional Government, Palazzo Guadagni Strozzi Sacrati, on International Human Rights Day. For 2027, Bastan and Najafi are developing a new project, continuing their dialogue between art, memory, freedom and civic responsibility.

Another of the first confirmed Guests of Honour is the director Teresa Mular, who was a Guest of Honour at the 13th Florence Biennale in 2021 and returned for the previous edition with the film Tango en Penumbras. Born in Buenos Aires and initially trained in medicine before turning to cinema, Mular has, over the years, developed a personal narrative that focuses on memory, fragility, female figures, minorities and inner transformation. For the 16th Florence Biennale, she will present a new version of the trilogy On the Wings of Time, re-edited specifically for the occasion, in direct dialogue with the theme of this year’s edition.

While getting ready for its XVI edition, the Florence Biennale is presenting a programme of projects across the city for 2026, designed as a bridge to 2027 and as an opportunity to boost the dialogue between contemporary art, urban spaces, hospitality and new cultural communities.

From 18 September to 4 October 2026, the collaboration between the Florence Biennale and The Social Hub Firenze Lavagnini continues with a solo exhibition of the young artist Stefano Alvino, who has already featured prominently at the last two editions. The partnership with The Social Hub, launched in 2026 with the exhibition On Time by Chiara Zhu — a Venetian artist and designer, winner of third place in the Design category at the 15th Florence Biennale in 2025 and creator of the graphic image for the theme of the next edition — is thus confirmed as a new space of dialogue between the Biennale, the city and the new generations of creatives. The Social Hub is a European hotel group that combines accommodation with a dynamic and shared experience for guests, co-workers and local residents. Founded in 2012 by entrepreneur Charlie MacGregor, it redefines the role of hotels in cities, offering spaces where anyone can learn, stay, work, have fun and, above all, connect. Its unique hybrid model combines hotel rooms for short and long stays, co-working spaces, meeting and event rooms, restaurants and bars, 24-hour gyms, and areas open to the public such as panoramic terraces, parks and cultural venues. Alvino’s exhibition will present the painting Il Demone Alichino, first shown at the 15th Florence Biennale in 2025, alongside Bergaraffa, a work created during a live painting session at the 14th edition in 2023. The exhibition will also be enriched by new works conceived specifically for the occasion — including silkscreen prints on Plexiglas — and by a selection of products inspired by his visual language, in a project that extends the individual artwork towards a fusion of art, design and contemporary culture.

Also in September, Art Suite will make its debut – a new project conceived and curated by Florence Biennale in collaboration with the Anglo American Hotel Florence – Curio Collection by Hilton. The initiative aims to bring contemporary art into spaces of exceptional hospitality, transforming the hotel into a living exhibition space, where art is not merely decoration, but a presence, experience and a welcoming gesture.

Art Suite’s first exhibition will feature Flora Borsi, running from 9 September to 10 October 2026, with a selection of works from her renowned Animeyed series, which was previously chosen as the visual identity for the 13th Florence Biennale in 2021, where the Hungarian artist was Guest of Honour. The series, which focuses on identity, the gaze, metamorphosis and the relationship between humans and animals, will thus return to Florence in a new exhibition setting, interacting with the intimate and international atmosphere of the Anglo American Hotel Florence.

From 16 October to 14 November 2026, the spotlight will be on Viktoria Andreeva, with a solo exhibition centred on the photographic series that served as the image for the 14th Florence Biennale in 2023. Winner of the International Open Call Competition – Photography Award, Andreeva was one of the Guests of Honour at the 14th edition; her works, exploring themes of the body, metamorphosis and identity, were used in the Biennale’s integrated communications campaign and presented in a dedicated space at the Fortezza da Basso.

With these first announcements, the Florence Biennale confirms its commitment not only to organising the major international exhibition at the Fortezza da Basso in the run-up to 2027, but also developing a series of wider-reaching projects aimed at bringing together artists, institutions, hospitality venues, creative communities and the general public.