Five art and design exhibitions on Dezeen Events Guide

Alice Laycock | 18 April 2024

Arab Design Now and Enzo Mari are among the current design exhibitions taking place across the world featured in Dezeen Events Guide.

Other design-related events taking place at the moment include Life Cycles: The Materials of Contemporary Design, Christien Meindertsma: Re-forming Waste and I Will Follow the Ship.

Two lamps on a plinth — Cow dung lamps by Adhi Nugraha are included in the exhibition. Photo by Studio Periphery. Top image: courtesy of the Design Museum

Life Cycles: The Materials of Contemporary Design
2 September 2023 to 7 July 2024, USA

Objects intended to illustrate the circularity of materials feature in the Life Cycles: The Materials of Contemporary Design exhibition by New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

Pioneering methods for using overlooked materials such as fungi and manure are on display.

Each piece encourages visitors to rethink the ways in which naturally occurring and waste materials are utilised in design.

Wooden gabled model structure — The V&A will host an exhibition on Christien Meindertsma. Photo courtesy of V&A

Christien Meindertsma: Re-forming Waste
22 November 2023 to 19 October 2024, UK

The work of Dutch designer and artist Christien Meindertsma is celebrated in this exhibition at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London.

Meindertsma's work utilises wool and linoleum, among other materials, and every piece aims to demonstrate innovation and well-honed craft techniques.

The exhibition follows the designer's research into the materials, exploring how they can be used in creative ways.

An exhibition space with various artworks on the floor and walls — Arab Design Now is part of Design Doha 2024. Photo courtesy of Arab Design Now

Arab Design Now
24 February to 5 August 2024, Qatar

Middle Eastern, Asian and North African design is spotlighted in Arab Design Now, the headline exhibition at Design Doha 2024.

Pieces on display include furniture, accessories and textiles, all of which are informed by local regional and cultural crafts.

As well as spotlighting both contemporary and conventional techniques, the pieces aim to address climate-related concerns and themes of sustainability.

Neon outlines of animals suspended from the ceiling — Enzo's Zoo by Nanda Vigo features in the exhibition. Photo courtesy of the Design Museum

Enzo Mari
29 March to 8 September 2024, UK

London's Design Museum is running a retrospective exhibition on the work of Italian artist and furniture designer Enzo Mari.

The eponymous show displays Mari's wide-ranging body of work, from furniture and installations to books and graphic design projects.

Curators Hans Ulrich Obrist and Francesca Giacomelli aimed to encapsulate Mari's 60 years of practice, combining existing works with purpose-commissioned projects.

A complex drawing overlaid on top of a photo of water — Malta's pavilion was designed by Matthew Attard. Photo courtesy of Arts Council Malta

I Will Follow the Ship
20 April to 24 November 2024, Italy

The 2024 edition of the Venice Art Biennale includes an exhibition by Maltese artist Matthew Attard.

The installation is the basis for Malta's designated pavilion during the biennale and blurs the line between artificial intelligence and time-honoured cultural heritage.

Physical and virtual settings are layered into a complex experience that explores the ways in which humans and digital forces interact.

About Dezeen Events Guide

Dezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year. The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks.

Inclusion in the guide is free for basic listings, with events selected at Dezeen's discretion. Organisers can get standard, enhanced or featured listings for their events, including images, additional text and links, by paying a modest fee.

In addition, events can ensure inclusion by partnering with Dezeen. For more details on inclusion in Dezeen Events Guide and media partnerships with Dezeen, email [email protected].