The Biennale also engaged with surrealist influences, as seen in Disco Inferno, an immersive installation by Atelier Van Lieshout (AVL) where sculpture, architecture, and functional objects coexist in a chaotic yet mesmerizing environment. Presented at Brutus, an experimental space founded by artist and AVL founder Joep Van Lieshout, the installation is a labyrinth of countless giant, handmade machines, hybrid engines, sculpures and furniture, set in ever-ending motion. Conceived as an ongoing project, "it will continue for years, decades—maybe even centuries", Van Lieshout says. "As long as we have oil or plastic waste, we can keep dancing on the edge of the volcano.”

Meanwhile, W70, the former headquarters of an insurance company on Weena Street, hosted the Biennale's main show, a group exhibition that explored the intersection of the present and the future in furniture design, with several standout participants. Spanish designer Pepe Valenti presented En el fondo del mar (At the Bottom of the Sea), an installation that recreates the sparkling reflections that emerge when sunlight hits the water from the sea, which he described as “a space of absorption for pure energy, a space to heal surrounded by water, and ongoing currents, a volume radiating ultimate peace.” In Congregation of Mysteries, Italian artist and designer Ginevra Petrozzi burned protective symbols into digital screens. “I am currently exploring mysticism and the occult in contemporary techno-politics,” she explained in addressing how in assuming the role of a ‘digital witch,’ she reclaims the sorceress archetype as both healer and political rebel.

At Huidenclub, an experimental space housed in a repurposed industrial building, designers Giulia Cosenza and Jonas Lutz presented Brancusi Left Paris, an homage to the most famous sculptural compositions of all, those of Constantin Brancusi, whose immortal spirit was 'invited' to Rotterdam, 'the city of nonsense' by the designers. “According to Brancusi, ‘the abstract was itself a reality,’” Cosenza explains. “Our work seeks to materialize that philosophy through tactile, evocative compositions."

Meanwhile, at Baanhof, a former electricity substation that now houses the studio of interior architect Robert van Oosterom, the exhibition A Promise of Happiness brought together a group of international artists such as Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis, French artist Audrey Large, and Lebanese sculptor Najla El Zein, who work with unconventional materials pushing the boundaries of execution, further reinforcing the event’s global scope.

About our guest contributor Paola Carimati

Architect by training, journalist by profession, she has been intertwining research with design and current affairs since the time of graduation at the Politecnico di Milano. Writing is a practice matured and trained in the field: yesterday, in the editorial staff of Elle Decor Italia, today with important Italian magazines of the groups Editoriale Domus, Il Salone del Mobile, Mondadori and Rcs.