British artist and designer Es Devlin has been named Artistic Director of the fourth edition of Homo Faber Biennial, set to transform the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice into “An Island of Light” from 1 to 30 September 2026. Devlin, celebrated for her monumental installations and innovative approach to performance and public art, will bring her distinctive vision to the international celebration of contemporary craftsmanship, curated by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship in partnership with Fondazione Giorgio Cini.
Fifteen immersive installations will be conceived by Devlin and her studio, each illuminating the work of hundreds of master artisans from across the globe. This edition’s theme, An Island of Light, promises a profound exploration of the elemental relationship between light, material, and the human hand. Devlin’s installations will spotlight the artistry of ceramicists, glassblowers, stone carvers, woodturners, paper artists, weavers, metalworkers, embroiderers, model makers, mosaicists, and more, drawing visitors into a world where craftsmanship becomes a living, breathing protagonist.
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Devlin’s reputation precedes her: her Library of Light at Milan’s Pinacoteca di Brera attracted nearly 200,000 visitors during Salone del Mobile this year, and her past projects span the world’s most prestigious museums, opera houses, Olympic stadiums, and public spaces. She succeeds a distinguished line of previous Homo Faber artistic directors and curators, including Luca Guadagnino, Stefano Boeri, India Mahdavi, Judith Clark, and Robert Wilson. Also, the recent Library of Us commissioned by Faena Art on Faena Miami Beach.
At the heart of Homo Faber 2026, artisans will take centre stage, literally and figuratively. The exhibition will feature live demonstrations in three main rooms, while photography, video, poetry, and music will reveal the faces, stories, and cultures behind the craft. Visitors will be invited into recreated artisan studios to experience the tools, raw materials, and working practices that shape each piece. The installations will be narrated by 90 Young Ambassadors, students of design and craft from around the world, selected by Homo Faber to animate the visitor journey with insight and expertise.
Devlin describes the opportunity as “an extraordinary privilege and a great adventure,” reflecting on her three decades of collaboration with creative minds across music, theatre, and the arts. “To co-author a series of installations with 400 of the world’s most skilled artisans within the gardens and Palladian architecture of the fabled Venetian island of San Giorgio Maggiore is an extraordinary privilege and a great adventure,” she notes.
Hanneli Rupert, Vice-Chair of the Michelangelo Foundation, highlights Devlin’s unique ability to craft “entire worlds out of nothing,” anticipating a singular vision that will shine a new light on the global talent assembled for the Biennial. Alberto Cavalli, Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation, underscores the power of the theme: “An Island of Light perfectly represents the ethos that underpins our actions: to give visibility to the creative, conscious and noble gestures of the artisans, to shed light on their talent, to inspire a new generation of makers, to illuminate the ingenious processes that the artisans invent to craft, every day, the new shapes of beauty.”
The Biennial will also feature a robust programme of live artisan demonstrations, participatory workshops, and bespoke gastronomic experiences, inviting visitors to immerse themselves even further in the world of contemporary craftsmanship. Alongside the main exhibition, Homo Faber in Città will return, opening the doors of Venetian artisanal workshops and staging a series of exhibitions throughout the lagoon city, celebrating Venice’s rich craft heritage.
The full programme for Homo Faber 2026 will be unveiled in due course, with ticketing available from April 2026.
For more of Es Devlin’s work visit @esdevlin on Instagram.
