Design Miami appoints Maria Cristina Didero as curatorial director for first Paris edition

“Optimism is a great propellant. I look forward to collaborating with Design Miami/ to demonstrate the power of design to make change,” says Milan based author, design curator and consultant, Maria Cristina Didero who was recently appointed as the Curatorial Director for one of the most prestigious design festivals in the world, Design Miami. Along with this celebratory announcement, the launch of the inaugural Paris Edition of Design Miami was also revealed. Launched in 2005, Design Miami is held bi-annually in Basel, Switzerland and Miami, Florida eversince. “The decision to present an event in Paris this October is the natural next step in Design Miami’s evolution. Rooted in the past with a hold on the future, the city truly complements Design Miami’s commitment to showcasing the best of historic and contemporary collectible design,” says Jennifer Roberts, CEO of Design Miami/.

Didero has previously curated several exhibitions for prominent galleries, brands and institutions across the globe, and is all set to bring her experience and multidisciplinary approach to the forefront as the curator for the events ahead.

STIR speaks to Didero about her new role as the curatorial director for Design Miami and the programme conceptualisation for the inaugural Paris event, which is themed around ‘The Golden Age’:

STIRpad: Your association with Design Miami has been a long one. Can you tell us a bit about your collaborative journey through the years?

Maria Cristina Didero (MCD): Through the years I have worked with a number of Design Miami’s participating galleries and collaborators, having contributed to three editions of the fair with Fendi to curate exhibitions with commissions by Cristina Celestino, Chiara Andreatti and Sabine Marcelis. As a result I am very familiar with the Design Miami/ brand, and consider its fairs to be key markers in the international design calendar. I believe that together with Design Miami/ there will be a lot of opportunities to explore and experiment. The fair is a great platform to share visions.

STIRpad: What are your plans regarding the inaugural edition that is scheduled for October 2022 in Paris?

MCD: I feel that we are living through a very important time, not only for design but also for culture more broadly, as we look to tackle the challenges of the contemporary era. I look forward to collaborating with Design Miami/ to demonstrate the power of design to make change. The inaugural Paris event this autumn presents an exciting opportunity to embrace Paris as a cultural capital, exploring new possibilities for Design Miami/ to share with its global audience under this year’s curatorial theme, The Golden Age. As with all Design Miami/ activations, the Paris event will look for new ways to engage audiences both in person and via its digital platforms, offering a truly immersive design experience from one of the world’s most historic cultural epicentres. More will be unveiled soon…

STIRpad: Can you share your memorable experience with the galleries, brands and designers that are a regular presence at the fair?

MCD: Through both its in-person fairs and its digital platforms, Design Miami/ engages with the very best galleries, designers and brands around the world, both established and emerging. This includes those I have worked with closely, such as R&Company for my Italian radical design project (which comprises an exhibition in NY, a book by Monacelli Press and a film directed by Francesca Molteni which has been projected worldwide), Fendi, Body Building by Atelier Biagetti for Secondome Gallery, as well as those in my wider orbit.

STIRpad: You have chosen the theme The Golden Age for the 2022 fair. Please share your ideas and inspiration.

MCD: This theme is out of all an aspiration, a wish; a direct invitation to collectively reflect on the era through which we are living. It has long been said that periods of crisis are followed by moments of great revival, because necessity and urgency are catalysts for progress. My chosen theme is intended to spark hope that innovation and genius in the arts, design and technology can lend themselves to a better, more harmonious and sustainable world. Design Miami/ has always had a global mindset. This theme, which will span all three 2022 Design Miami/ fairs in Basel, Paris and Miami, is intriguing; the ‘golden age’ is a concept shared across cultures through time and space, whether applied to utopian futures or idealised histories. Optimism is a great propellant.

STIRpad: Previously, you have curated three editions of Fendi’s presence at Design Miami. How have these curatorial experiences culminated in shaping your craft today?

MCD: It is always helpful to draw on past experiences in my curatorial work. My experience working with Fendi on its exhibitions for Design Miami/ have given me an appreciation of the fair’s forward-thinking ethos, and a strong understanding of its ever-growing international audience. This familiarity with the brand and its global network of design enthusiasts offers the chance to identify areas for growth and development through collaboration, while safeguarding Design Miami/’s core values.

STIRpad: How do your personal ideas and approach align with Design Miami's mission?

MCD: I have a multidisciplinary mindset that is wholly aligned with Design Miami’s mission to promote talent and innovation, creativity, cultural exchange and education. I have worked with products, illustration, photography, and films. Over recent years, Design Miami has diversified its offering as a multidimensional platform, operating at the intersection of design, art, innovation and technology, across real world and digital realms, and I greatly look forward to helping develop this vision further.

My design approach has always been humanistic, taking people as my primary point of departure when embarking on new creative projects. I am particularly interested in finding out how people react to their surroundings, and, in turn, how these reactions give birth to new creative ideas. I look forward to exploring where this approach can take Design Miami/ and its global audience over the coming year.