London Design Biennale 2023: first exhibitors announced
London Design Biennale 2023 will follow a theme of ‘The Global Game: Remapping Collaborations’, led by Aric Chen and Het Nieuwe Instituut (1 – 25 June 2023)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Three months from its inauguration, London Design Biennale 2023 announces the first confirmed exhibitors for the edition, which will take place at Somerset House from 1 to 25 June 2023, led by Aric Chen and Rotterdam’s Het Nieuwe Instituut. The theme of the design event’s fourth edition will be ‘The Global Game: Remapping Collaborations’, exploring design beyond borders, new forms of international cooperation and participation through multidisciplinary design.
‘The previous Biennale took place towards the end of the global pandemic and once again the global context has drastically changed,’ says Victoria Broakes, Director of London Design Biennale. ‘Despite this, international design teams continue to demonstrate the possibilities of what can be achieved through design and design thinking. The Biennale is the place to see what is on people’s minds, across the world, right now. This year we will see exhibitors presenting design in all its forms - from ancient weaving traditions through futuristic urban planning, from AI systems to collaborative humanitarian efforts.’
London Design Biennale 2023: Remapping Collaborations
For the 2023 event, the initial line-up sees Abu Dhabi, the humanoid Ai-Da Robot, Automorph Network, Care Pavilion, Chatham House, Chile, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dubai, India, Malta, the Swiss museum Mudac, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, South Korea, Spain and Peru, Taiwan, The Delegation of the European Union to the United Kingdom and Ukraine taking over the spaces of London’s Somerset House.
In the Somerset House courtyard, Malta will present a ‘village square’, defined by textile designs made with traditional Phoenician-Maltese dyes to highlight ‘ancient approaches to the urban environment and the chance encounters that they encourage’. Meanwhile, on the River Terrace, India will recreate a ‘chowk’ (an open market found at street junctions) through a charpai traditional woven daybed.
The war in Ukraine will feature in some of the national contributions to the event: Ukrainian designers will collaborate to highlight their country’s creative richness and the role of collaboration in fostering connection and communication in time of war, while the Polish project will reference donations from Poland to Ukraine to support those who lost their homes, using the window as a symbol of cross-border collaboration.
Spain and Peru present a collaborative pavilion, embodying the biennale’s theme with a body of work inspired by the ‘cajón’, a traditional Afro-Peruvian percussion instrument that was later brought into Spain, becoming the instrument of flamenco music.
‘The Global Game: Remapping Collaborations‘ aims to create an alternative geopolitical landscape driven not by competition nor conflict, but rather cooperation,’ comments Chen. ‘We all agree that global challenges require global collaboration. This is easier said than done, but in some small way, we hope real international exchanges will arise from this biennial in a way that also invites visitors to become part of the process.’
London Design Biennale 2023 will take place from 1 to 25 June 2023
Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA
londondesignbiennale.com (opens in new tab)
Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.
-
Spring beauty trends: the best products for bright and beguiling looks
Celebrate the season with our edit of the best spring beauty buys
By Mary Cleary • Published
-
Roger Ballen’s Inside Out Centre for the Arts opens in Johannesburg
The Inside Out Centre for the Arts, founded by artist Roger Ballen, is Johannesburg’s newest hub for art related to the African continent
By Daniel Scheffler • Published
-
British hairstylist Adam Reed unveils his haircare line Arkive
Adam Reed launches Arkive, a high-performing haircare brand with perfume-worthy fragrances
By Pei-Ru Keh • Published
-
Nordic design gallery Modernity London opens in Pimlico’s Newson’s Yard
Modernity London opens in new design hub Newson’s Yard with 200 sq m of the finest Scandinavian design. Discover the highlights
By Emma O'Kelly • Published
-
PAD London celebrates the past and present of collectible design
PAD London (until 16 October 2022) returns for a new edition presenting historical and collectible design
By Rosa Bertoli • Last updated
-
Carpenters Workshop Gallery announces Ladbroke Hall opening in 2023
The new west London location will include gallery space as well as a restaurant, hidden garden and events spaces
By Rosa Bertoli • Last updated
-
Made in London dives into the city’s rich collection of 21st-century factories
Made in London is a photographic journey through the capital’s surprisingly rich and diverse manufacturing scene, capturing everything from aircraft interiors to cardboard boxes, and everything in between
By Jonathan Bell • Last updated
-
London’s iconic Tube map design grows two new stations
As the London Tube map grows to include two brand new stations, we speak to the designer safeguarding its famous design codes
By Hannah Silver • Last updated
-
In memoriam: Sir Terence Conran (1931-2020)
Sir Terence Conran will be remembered for countless commercial achievements, but most impressively of all, for possessing a clear and compelling vision for the future of design, retail and hospitality
By Damon Syson • Last updated
-
Zaha Hadid Design’s dog kennel joins a pack of pooch pads in London
By Elly Parsons • Last updated
-
Hot sheets: paper turns over a new leaf in Tokyo
By Jens Jensen • Last updated