Homo Faber 2026 brings craftsmanship and Es Devlin’s immersive installations to San Giorgio Maggiore
Homo Faber 2026 returns to San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice as a month-long exhibition devoted to contemporary craftsmanship. Titled An Island of Light, the fourth edition brings together more than 700 objects by over 500 craft artists from more than 70 countries, presented through 15 immersive installations by artistic director Es Devlin. Running from 1 to 30 September 2026, the event is curated by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship in partnership with Fondazione Giorgio Cini and Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte.
Devlin organizes the exhibition around light as both a physical material and a way of reading the objects on display. Across the rooms and gardens of the Cini complex, light, water, mirrors, movement and sound structure a sequence of environments that shifts attention between finished works, tools, raw materials and the people who make them. The spatial approach gives the Venice exhibition a strong scenographic identity without separating craft from process, allowing visitors to move between objects and the conditions of their production.
Several installations make that process visible in real time. An Atelier Alive recreates a working craft studio where master artisans demonstrate techniques in porcelain, leather, paper and textiles, while A Rooted Ascent brings woodworkers and weavers into direct contact with visitors. Participatory workshops extend the programme further, including kintsugi, hanko and an origami laboratory led by Italian artist Giuseppe Romeo. Each folded white flower made by visitors is added to a growing installation, making the public part of a work that changes throughout September.
The scale of Homo Faber 2026 is matched by its emphasis on new voices. According to the organizers, 85 percent of the participating artisans are exhibiting at the biennial for the first time. Young Ambassadors, drawn from international craft, design and business programmes, guide visitors through the exhibition and discuss the objects on view. Food and hospitality are also integrated into the visitor experience through A Glasshouse Restaurant, A Trattoria on an Island, A Garden Café and A Pool Bar, extending the project beyond display into a wider cultural programme.
The biennial also introduces the Homo Faber Awards 2026, open to every exhibiting craft artist. Three prizes will be decided separately by the public, invited journalists and the Young Ambassadors, with each winning artisan receiving €10,000 to support the development of their practice. Public voting takes place through the Homo Faber app and remains open until the end of September, with the winners announced on the final day. The format adds a direct layer of participation to an event already built around proximity between makers and audiences.
Beyond San Giorgio Maggiore, Homo Faber 2026 reaches into Venice through Homo Faber in Città, exhibitions at Casa Sanlorenzo, 130 artisanal workshops listed in the Homo Faber Guide and a citywide programme of craft events. At Fondazione Giorgio Cini, however, An Island of Light remains the central statement: an exhibition where installation design, live making and contemporary craftsmanship operate together, giving visitors access not only to finished objects but also to the materials, decisions and manual knowledge behind them.
All images courtesy of Michelangelo Foundation
