Paola Antonelli 2016 © Photographed by Marton Perlaki
Since 1995, Paola Antonelli has been MoMA’s senior curator of architecture and design. During this tenure, the Sardinian author, editor, and architect has foregrounded the role of technology in today’s society, as well as exploring the sometimes dark relationship between design and politics. Aside from her role at one of New York’s most prestigious museums, she has, since the ceremony’s 2013 inception, also been on the panel for the Lexus Design Awards. This autumn, she sat down to tell us the ins and outs of the ceremony.
SLEEK: Creativity has the power to change the world. The Lexus Design Award thus also has a plausible claim to being a world-changing event. What is your position on this?
Paola Antonelli: Explaining the fundamental importance of creativity in shaping the destinies of the world is the mission of my career. Any means at my disposal – exhibitions, books, interviews – I use towards that end. The Lexus Design Award has proven to be a very powerful tool because the company has decided to put its power, resources and network behind that same mission. The role of the mentor, in particular, is what makes this award different from any other. It is true support.
S: We have just come out of a time in which creativity has been vital in helping find solutions. What was your experience of the pandemic and what are your conclusions about it?
PA: In April 2020, I started an IG live project, together with design critic Alice Rawsthorn, under the name @design.emergency. It was meant to highlight the fundamental role of design and creativity during the pandemic and after. Design alone cannot save the world, no discipline alone can, but design as a fundamental component of a sustainable approach to our future and the future of all species and ecosystems.
S: What does the promotion of young talent via the Lexus award mean to you?
PA: It means everything to me. It’s a fundamental part of my work as a curator and one of the most exciting opportunities
S: How do the nominees shape their own approach to creativity?
PA: They are a continuous source of inspiration. I particularly like the way they teach me about new behaviours and prompt me to communicate in new ways. I’m also very inspired by the younger generation’s seriousness and sense of responsibility.
S: You’ve been on the panel for the awards since it began. How does that feel?
PA: It is a privilege to be involved and to help shape the vision behind the award, which was to truly have an impact on the world of design by giving motivated, imaginative, and talented young designers a chance. That’s what I also do in my work as a curator. It felt like a natural extension.
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