The Exhibition Design Intensive, a weeklong professional workshop presented as part of the Dreaming New Worlds programme, successfully concluded in Lagos after bringing together a select group of experienced designers and producers for advanced training in international exhibition-making.
Held from Monday, 2 February to Friday, 6 February 2026, the intensive workshop provided participants with an immersive learning experience focused on the design, staging, and production of major global exhibitions. The programme was facilitated by internationally renowned exhibition designer Federico Martelli, whose portfolio includes major projects such as Elements of Architecture at the Venice Biennale, Serial Classic in Milan, and the permanent collection display of the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.
Designed for practitioners with a minimum of five years of professional experience, the workshop welcomed a curated cohort of 15 participants selected through a competitive application process. Over five days of intensive sessions, participants explored how curatorial concepts are translated into spatial and sensory experiences for visitors, and how exhibition design can function as a critical tool for storytelling and public engagement.
Through lectures, case studies, group discussions, and hands-on exercises, Martelli guided participants in examining the collaborative dynamics between artists, curators, and designers. The workshop also addressed the practical and conceptual challenges involved in staging large-scale international exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale, Bienal de São Paulo, and Art X Lagos, offering participants valuable insights into working across cultural and institutional contexts.
A key focus of the programme was the role of exhibition space as an active contributor to meaning-making. Participants were encouraged to rethink how spatial design, material choices, and visitor movement can deepen audience experience and communicate complex curatorial ideas in accessible ways.
The Exhibition Design Intensive forms part of the broader Dreaming New Worlds initiative, reinforcing its commitment to capacity-building and professional development within Nigeria’s contemporary art ecosystem. By equipping local designers and producers with international-level skills and perspectives, the workshop fostered meaningful exchange and strengthened networks among practitioners working across exhibition-making, architecture, and cultural production.
Participants completed the programme with expanded technical knowledge, new collaborative relationships, and a renewed understanding of how thoughtful exhibition design can shape powerful cultural experiences.
