Tomorrow, the heart of Florence will beat with art again as the Florence Biennale 2025 opens its fifteenth edition at the historic Fortezza da Basso. Running from October 18 to 26, the biennale will host more than 550 artists and designers from 84 countries, presenting over 1,500 works that span painting, sculpture, installation, and design.
This year’s theme, “The Sublime Essence of Light and Darkness — Concepts of Dualism and Unity in Contemporary Art and Design,” invites artists to explore the tension and harmony between opposites. It isn’t just about light as a physical element or darkness as its counterpart; it’s about how these forces shape perception, narrative, and emotion in contemporary visual culture.
The program extends beyond exhibitions. On October 21, filmmaker and artist Tim Burton will receive the Lorenzo il Magnifico Lifetime Achievement Award, an honor that underscores the biennale’s embrace of cross-disciplinary artistic voices. In parallel, the Leonardo da Vinci Award will be presented for lifetime contributions to design.
Workshops, artist talks, and live performances are woven into the schedule, turning the biennale into a living dialogue rather than a static showcase. It’s expected to draw thousands of visitors, not only for the works themselves but for the ideas they ignite.
Opening hours: 10 AM – 8 PM daily, starting at 2 PM on October 18.
Location: Fortezza da Basso, Florence, Italy.
The Florence Biennale remains a cornerstone of the global contemporary art calendar — a space where visual language meets philosophical depth, and where dualities like light and darkness are transformed into bold, resonant statements.