At Homo Faber 2026, Es Devlin Puts Craft in the Spotlight

On the tranquil island of San Giorgio Maggiore, far from the churn of tourist crowds, Venice is hosting Homo Faber, a testament to human ingenuity. Organized by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, this exhibition, which runs concurrently with the Venice Biennale, is establishing itself as an epicenter of international artisanal mastery. First launched in 2018, Homo Faber gives craftspeople—weavers, glassblowers, woodworkers—the level of cultural attention usually reserved for artists. Against the backdrop of Palladian cloisters and historic monastic halls of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, the festival celebrates the wonders that the human hand can still create, in an era obsessed with digital speed.

For this fourth edition, themed An Island of Light, the foundation entrusted artistic direction to the British artist and designer Es Devlin. The subject of a retrospective at the Design Museum in London this fall, Devlin is known for her kinetic sculptures, public art installations, and ambitious set designs for, among others, Beyoncé, U2, and the Royal Opera House. At Homo Faber, Devlin frames craft as a dynamic dialogue of reflection, light, and shadow, featuring more than 700 objects by over 500 artisans from some 70 countries.

Across 15 immersive installations, Devlin transforms the Cini Foundation’s architecture into a labyrinth of wonder. A Full Moon Rising is set within the former Gandini pool—the first indoor swimming pool in Venice, built in 1962. Emerging from the pool itself, handcrafted moon jars and ceramic vessels appear to float on mirrored water, catching shafts of shifting light. In A Feast of Light, a monumental refectory houses a glowing, banquet-length table set entirely with ethereal white porcelain, delicate glass, and sculpted paper. (Its counterpoint is A Rainbow of Forms, a section dedicated entirely to the exploration of color.) A Luminous Ark, installed in a soaring atrium, features massive paper lantern sculptures of Venetian birds like egrets, kestrels, and herons created by the Chinese artist Wen Qiuwen. A Rooted Ascent focuses on wood furniture and objects, as well as items made from natural woven materials such as wicker, willow, and rush.

Other noteworthy highlights include intricate blown glass that pushes traditional techniques into radical abstraction; minute lacquer work rendered with astonishing spatial geometric precision; and fiber confections that weave between functional objects and sculpture. Those who want to do more than stroll through the fair can join scheduled conversations or spend some time at An Atelier Alive, a section where visitors can interact with masters as they work with materials as varied as clay, textiles, and metal.

Devlin’s poetic direction reminds us that handcrafts can be vessels for soulfulness, patience, and human ingenuity, carrying with them the timeless connection between nature, mind, and making. “Every object is a dance with light, since the materials used to create them have come from their interaction with the light of the sun,” Devlin says. “I wanted to create a sense of discovery, curiosity, and awareness that’s bigger than any of us individually. All these artisans touch on that in their work.”