Major design and art events rescheduled in 2022 due to COVID surge

January, usually filled with announcements of new events and plans for the year ahead, has once again become crammed with news of cancellations and rescheduling of several major events throughout the world, thanks to the new COVID-19 variant. New restrictions and government regulations have impacted national and international events just as much as they have impacted individuals and smaller institutions. Several major trade fairs like Salone del Mobile and Maison&Objet Paris which were anticipated to finally function normally this year, have also been pushed ahead to later dates. Continuing its innings for a third year, the COVID-19 variant is also responsible for pushing individuals to explore alternate methods of holding events and functions as well as communicating. Here are some of the events that have been affected by the new variant so far:

1. Salone del Mobile.Milano

Salone del Mobile, an international furniture fair, held annually in or near Milan and touted as one of the largest trade fairs in the world, was also recently rescheduled in view of the pandemic. Initially scheduled for April, the event will now take place at the Fiera Milano fairground, Rho, Lombardy, Italy from 7 June 2022 to 12 June 2022. Over the years, the fair has become synonymous as the launching station of new design collections by renowned designers and brands. The 2021 event of the fair was redesigned to fit into a digital space and was given a new name, Supersalone. It hosted 423 brands and 50 independent producers. The exhibition showcased nearly 200 projects from 48 international design schools, thus garnering the interest and attention of both established and upcoming designers. The event was further populated by several interactive talks and discourses that involved some of the most renowned and influential names from the creative industry.

2. Maison&Objet Paris

Originally scheduled to take place at the iconic Parc des Expositions de Villepinte in January 2022, Maison&Objet has moved its opening dates to late March. The event, often attributed as the most publicised event in the decoration and lifestyle industry, serves as a hotspot of creative talent, ushering brands and designers from within and without the country. It is held twice every year, in January and in September. This is the third time that the event has been impacted by the virus. Both September 2020 and January 2021 editions of the event were cancelled. The September 2021 edition of the fair, however, returned in a hybrid format and was hosted both digitally and physically. The 2022 event, scheduled to be held from 24 March 2022 to 28 March 2022, can be expected to host several talk sessions, exhibitions and interactive programmes, all centered around design and lifestyle.

3. imm cologne

imm Cologne is an international furniture and interior design trade fair that is held every year in January at the Koelnmesse exhibition centre in Cologne, Germany. The fair was first held in the year 1949. It invites designers, architects and traders from all over the world to showcase their products and space designs. The 2019 fair alone hosted more than a thousand exhibitors from more than 50 countries and was visited by a staggering 150,000 people from 139 countries. This year, the event has been cancelled for the second time due to the pandemic and is now scheduled to return in 2023.

4. India Art Fair

The India Art Fair is an annual four-day event that is held in India’s capital city, New Delhi, from late January to early February. A platform for contemporary artists, galleries and museums from South Asia, the fair serves as an important space for the region’s cultural expression, keeping alive the ancient traditions and arts, while also inviting creatives to showcase their interpretations and experiences of the rich South Asian culture. Apart from the annual four day event, the foundation also hosts several art related events throughout the year, with the intention to provide a space for creatives to learn and explore the art world. The much anticipated January event has now been pushed ahead and is scheduled to take place at the NSIC Exhibition Grounds, New Delhi from 28 April 2022 to 1 May 2022.

5. Ambiente

Ambiente, a diverse consumer goods trade fair that attracts international visitors and designers every year to Frankfurt Messe, Germany has been cancelled by Messe Frankfurt, the organiser of the fair. The event was scheduled to take place in February this year. Some of the other German shows such as Christmasworld, Paperworld and Creativeworld, all of which are organised by Messe Frankfurt also have met with a similar fate owing to the new COVID-19 variant. The last edition of the event, held in 2020, was spread across an area of 310,240 gross sqm and hosted a total of 4,635 exhibitors from 93 countries. Nearly 100,000 buyers came to the fair from 160 countries, making it a huge design affair.

6. London Art Fair

The annually held London Art Fair showcases the works of both established and upcoming artists at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. The event welcomes both galleries and private collectors to present the works of artists. Originally scheduled for a January showcase, the event will now be held from 20 April 2022 to 24 April 2022. The previous edition of the event, held digitally in 2021 and dubbed London Art Fair: Edit, saw a total of 50 galleries presenting the works of renowned artists from the 20th and 21st century. The digital fair hosted online Viewing Rooms which invited visitors to witness the displayed works, accompanied by aural and written descriptions and narrations of the same.