Homo Faber 2026: An Island of Light opens on 1st September on San Giorgio Maggiore, and among the hundreds of makers whose work fills Es Devlin's 15 installations are 30 Indian craft artists and ateliers, present in Venice with the support of JSW Foundation.
The fourth edition of the Homo Faber Biennial is curated by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship and conceived by British artist and designer Es Devlin, who frames the work of craft artists from around the world with light; a force as fundamental to craft, to raw materials and to human life as it is to her own practice. The exhibition runs from 1 to 30 September in the historic buildings and grounds of Fondazione Giorgio Cini.
JSW Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the JSW Group, announced its collaboration with the Michelangelo Foundation in February this year. The Indian work is not gathered into a national pavilion but distributed through different rooms of Devlin's spaces, sitting alongside makers from every continent.
Sangita Jindal, Chairperson, JSW Foundation, says, “At JSW Foundation, we see heritage not as a relic of the past, but as a living force carrying centuries of knowledge, identity, and human ingenuity. Through this platform, we present the extraordinary skill and imagination of India's artisans, fostering genuine dialogue and exchange across diverse traditions of craft and art. Rooted in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—'the world is one family'—this endeavour reminds us that though our traditions spring from different soils, they remain bound by a common reverence for creativity and the human spirit. I look forward to strengthening this collaboration in the years ahead, deepening global appreciation for India's artistic heritage, and ensuring our creative legacy continues to inspire, connect, and flourish on the global stage.”
In the room An Alphabet of Objects, where more than 100 works are back-lit so their silhouettes fall across the facing walls as an ideographic language, Indian terracotta answers Devlin's brief for intricate outlines and earthy tones. Suraj Sahu builds architectural sanctuaries in clay; Dolon Kundu and Kunal Ukey work in terracotta, the latter in a wooden frame holding more than a hundred vessels; and Rajka Pottery contributes a trio of horses.
A Full Moon Rising, set in Fondazione Giorgio Cini's former 1960s swimming pool, gathers vessels made to carry water. Ram Gopal Blue Pottery of Jaipur brings the cobalt-and-white idiom of the city's blue pottery to the silhouette of the Korean moon jar, while a set of embroidered moon jars (The Kalhat Foundation) translates the same form into textile.
Seven Indian entries appear in A Rooted Ascent, where woodworkers and weavers work live in the room: Cane Concept in bamboo and steel; The Wicker Story in willow; Chacko in wood marquetry with illustrator Gaia Eloe Cairo and Sampigé & Co; Reha Salvi, whose charred wooden vessels are hollowed to the thinness of clay; The Vernacular Modern with Suresh Mohan; Priyanka Shah, whose Bombay Carousel raises a carved Gothic skyline over a rotating base; and Ankon Mitra with Shalini Mithal in driftwood and macramé.
An Atelier Alive recreates a working studio, with Chanakya School's two-metre embroidered panel, Klove Studio in glass, the banana-fibre paper pillars of Sumakshi Singh with Mohan Kumar Verma, and ceramics by Vipul Kumar. In An Infinite Birdsong, where illuminated mirrors echo Venice's arched windows at night, India contributes jewellery by Surya Mathew, miniature paper birds by The Paper Ark [Nayan Venus], glass by Nini (Nalini Mehat) and the marquetry sunbirds of Chippiwara.
A Feast of Light, in which the Palladian Refectory is bisected by a beam of white light and every object is white, includes mother-of-pearl vessels by Kinkar Ghosh and Souvik Roy with Inderjeet Sandhu, carved from seashells in Karnataka.
The journey turns to colour in A Rainbow of Forms, where Valay Gada's petalled sculpture and Dhruv Agarwal's illuminated lotus meet Kavin Mehta's marble dyed in natural indigo, Rooshad Shroff's hand-carved orange calcite and the work of Vahe 9PAPER MACHIE).
Tarini Jindal Handa, Founder, Æquo, Managing Director, JSW Realty, Head- Art & Culture, JSW Foundation, added: “There is something very special about an object made by hand. It carries the maker in it — their time, their skill, their story. India has an extraordinary tradition of making, much of it passed quietly from one generation to the next. This year, we have the privilege of bringing 30 Indian artisans to Homo Faber, and I am so proud that JSW Foundation can be a small part of their journey. More than anything, I hope their work is seen, appreciated and celebrated — not only for the traditions it carries, but for where these remarkable makers can take them next.”
Two Indian crafts will also be demonstrated live throughout the month. Bidri, the metal inlay tradition of Bidar in Karnataka, in which blackened zinc alloy is inlaid with fine silver and chased by hammer against a pitch bed. And Tholu Bommalata, the translucent leather puppetry of the Deccan, presented as Upvan — a double-sided forest tableau of tigers, birds, canopy and floral ground cover. (ARTISAN NAME: KANDAY ANJANAPPA)
Alberto Cavalli, Executive Director, Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, says, "The theme chosen for the fourth edition of Homo Faber Biennial, An Island of Light, perfectly represents the ethos that underpins our actions: to give visibility to the artisans, to shed light on their talent, and to inspire a new generation of makers.”
Further details on the participating artists and the works being presented at Homo Faber 2026 are available on https://www.jsw.in/homofaber
Homo Faber 2026: An Island of Light runs from 1 to 30 September 2026 10 am to 7 pm
Tickets are available at homofaber.com.
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