An Island of Light: Es Devlin Puts Craft in the Spotlight
Art & design quick read · Venice · Through September 30, 2026
We spend a remarkable amount of time looking at things and surprisingly little time really seeing them. Here is a reason to slow the thumb down.
Homo Faber 2026: An Island of Light is running in Venice through September 30. With artistic direction by Es Devlin and curation by the Michelangelo Foundation, the exhibition centres on the relationship between light, materials and the hands that shape them.
The hands behind the spectacle
According to the official opening announcement, this fourth biennial brings together more than 500 artisans from over 70 countries, with 700 objects. It unfolds at Fondazione Giorgio Cini on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore and across the wider city.
Those numbers are impressive. What interests us more is the invitation behind them: to notice skill, time and individual imagination inside an object, not simply its ability to look expensive on a shelf.
Why it caught our eye
The exhibition image alone gives us a lovely point of entry: illuminated vessels arranged in a circle, their reflection completing the scene below. We have not walked through the exhibition, so this is an introduction rather than a first-hand review. But its attention to making is exactly the sort of art-and-design conversation we want to keep having.
That appreciation does not require a ticket to Venice. Look closely at a handmade garment, a piece of pottery or a beautifully finished instrument. Ask who made it. Learn one thing about the process. There is a human story hiding in all that work, and the maker deserves more than a passing swipe.
Explore the exhibition overview and Homo Faber’s artisan guide. If you are visiting, use the official ticket site for availability and arrangements.
Image: Homo Faber 2026 exhibition image via Homo Faber / Michelangelo Foundation.
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