5. 9.–2. 11. 2025
Venice Design Biennale, SPUMA – Space for the Arts, Giudecca Island, Venice, Italy
Sofia Artemeva, a student of the Product Design Studio, will present her bachelor’s thesis “Terra Aesthetica: The Ephemerality of Aesthetics in Contemporary Design” at the Venice Design Biennale. Her project has been included in the design exhibition on the theme Extinction / Salvation and will be shown to the public on Giudecca Island in Venice.
The curatorial selection of the exhibition focuses on independent designers, studios, and students. It is framed around the question: “Can design shape our lives and offer solutions for salvation, or should it guide us through inevitable extinction?” The theme also presents two opposing perspectives on how to view design — as either our salvation or our demise.
Sofia Artemeva’s work “Terra Aesthetica: The Ephemerality of Aesthetics in Contemporary Design” critically reflects on the tension between the desire to create and the awareness of the environmental and ethical impacts of design. “The project responds to the current state of stagnation in the field of product design, the surplus of visual forms, environmental anxiety, and questions of freedom in design practice,” the author explains, clarifying the central idea of the work.
As a means of expressing her message, Sofia chose a series of mirrors. They serve as a metaphor for function in design. Their aesthetic treatment — small engravings or sculpturally crafted frames — reflects the author’s perspective on her own dilemma. The creation of materials plays a significant role as well — wax, soap, and unfired clay, which are temporary and allow for a freer, more expressive form of creation.
At this year’s 5th edition of the Venice Design Biennale, a selection of glass and interior accessories will be presented, reflecting the theme Extinction / Salvation through diverse approaches to material treatment and artistic interpretation. The exhibition runs concurrently with the Architecture Biennale until November 2nd.
Sofia Artemeva is a product designer and a student at the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague (UMPRUM), working across diverse disciplines — from jewelry design to exhibition installations, furniture, and art objects. Her designs incorporate a dimension of spiritual experience and reflection on the surrounding world. She works with a keen attention to detail, using plasticity and organic shaping to imbue her creations with subtlety and individuality.
