Design Trust Grant Programmes Spotlight & International News

Design Trust spotlights Grant projects and Design Trust Futures Studio initiatives in the ongoing international exhibitions and conferences including the “Well-being in the City” Exhibition at Casa de la Arquitectura in Madrid, and the International Union of Architects (UIA) World Congress of Architects in Barcelona, along with exciting news on alumni Design Trust fellows and grantees leading international biennales from Shenzhen, Arnhem to Venice.

“Well-being in the City” Exhibition at the Casa de la Arquitectura in Madrid, featured Design Trust Seed Grant design research prototypes “Your Greenhouse Is Your Kitchen Is Your Living Room” by Leyuan Li, “Blue Water Catcher” by Francis Lam and Etain Ho, and Feature Grant project “The Social Network Factory” by People’s Architecture Office, as well as design projects from Design Trust former grantees including Chang Su. Structured around eight essential life actions: birth, raising, sleeping, eating, playing, caring, courting and walking, the exhibition presents 99 emerging projects from Latin America, Asia and Europe that, from different approaches, offer a rich panorama of good practices into the topic of Well-being and Care. The Scientific Committee of the selection process is chaired by former Design Trust Feature Grant recipient Marina Otera Verzier, and joined by Design Trust Lead Curator Marisa Yiu, along with Izaskun Chinchilla, curator of the exhibition, and Alejandra Celedón, Elke Krasny, Marta Poch, Caterina Capdevila and Ana Robles. The exhibition is currently on display until September 20^th, 2026.

The International Union of Architects (UIA) World Congress of Architects in Barcelona featured presentation from Design Trust Grant recipient Leyuan Li on his project “Your Greenhouse Is Your Kitchen Is Your Living Room” which explores the greenhouse typology structure with moveable furniture arranged to host different workshops and events, exploring the preparation and consumption of food and urban farming, whilst facilitating social interactions to take place among visitors and local community. The Congress also highlights Design Trust Grant research “Scaffold and Memory: Bamboo and the Disappearing City” by Raffaella Endrizzi as part of the “Local Learning Studio” programme. Raffaella Endrizzi’s project captures how bamboo structures veil and reveals the city—symbolizing impermanence, craftsmanship, and transformation. Interviews and portraits of Sifus (master scaffolders) and semi-skilled workers preserve lived knowledge passed down through generations, offering insight into the challenges of sustaining traditional practices in a rapidly modernizing city.

We are also delighted to share news on alumni Design Trust fellows and grantees leading local and international biennales from Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Arnhem to Venice:

Alumni Design Trust/ Royal College of Art Fellowship in Design Curation fellow Anna Zhou and M+/Design Trust Research Fellow Anouchka van Driel, have curated, State of Fashion 2026 Biennale: “Available to Promise; Hidden Systems, Shared Futures” with Shanu Walpita from May 14^th to June 28^th 2026 across Arnhem. The biennale examines the infrastructures including supply chains, platforms, labour networks, trade routes, and the ecological resources that sustain the industry, featuring exhibition design by OMA/AMO and work from former Design Trust Futures Studio mentors Alexander Groves and Azusa Murakami.

Alumnus Design Trust Feature Grantee Naiyi Wang initiated and co-curated the first Shenzhen Art & Technology Biennale: “A Glimpse of the Infinite” from May 30^th 2026 to April 30^th 2027, at the newly opened Shenzhen International Museum of Art. The biennale brings together over fifty international artists, scientists and researchers to explore the quantum condition of perception—where observation is never passive but an act of intervention that collapses possibilities into a single, fleeting present.

Alumni Design Trust Seed Grantees Wingshan Wong (Flying Pig) and Kachi Chan curated the SATA Fest: “Between the Between” at HKADC Showcase from July 9^th – 18^th 2026, bringing together artist-mentors Fung Wing Lam, Rogerger Ng, Sing Jantzen Tse, Liv Tsim, and 20 artist-mentees, to conduct a year-long research and development. Through sonic art, graphic art, electronic art and bio art, they reinterpret and respond to these small businesses’ operation models, opening up a contemporary dialogue on time. Beyond the exhibition, SATA Fest also invites overseas artists to HK for talks and artwork presentations, offering new perspectives on the relationship between art, technology, and the city.

Alumni M+/Design Trust Research Fellows Mark Wasiuta and Farzin Lotfi-Jam are recently announced as curators for “Early Warning Architecture” as Canada’s official representation at the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale together with Theodora Vardouli. The exhibition situates architecture at the centre of the most urgent technological, environmental and geopolitical issues of our time, makes visible an immense structure of physical and informational systems that we collectively inhabit. The exhibition will be featured at the Canada Pavilion from May 8 to November 21, 2027