Image: Triennale di Milano
Werner Herzog will open Triennale Milano’s ‘Work in progress’ series on 9 September with a lecture devoted to the theme of truth. The German filmmaker will appear at the institution at 6.30pm, followed by a conversation with Italian director and writer Davide Ferrario about storytelling, the artist’s gaze and the role of cinema and literature in interpreting the present.
The event is the first instalment of a programme of talks forming part of Triennale Milano’s lead-up to its 25th International Exhibition, scheduled for 2028. The series brings together figures from the arts, cinema and literature. Herzog’s appearance is listed as sold out; admission is free with registration, and the approximately 90-minute event will be held in English with Italian translation in the Salone d’Onore on the institution’s first floor.
According to the event description, Herzog’s lecture will move across cinema, literature and contemporary reflection, revisiting questions that have shaped his artistic research. The subsequent dialogue with Ferrario will address the power of narrative and how creative perspectives can help interpret the present. No further details about the lecture’s specific content or structure have been announced.
Herzog, born in Munich in 1942, has worked as a director since 1962 and is also identified by Triennale Milano as a producer, screenwriter, actor and documentary filmmaker. His cited films include ‘Nosferatu’ (1978), ‘Fitzcarraldo’ (1982), ‘Cobra Verde’ (1987), ‘My Best Fiend’ (1999), ‘The White Diamond’ (2005) and ‘Grizzly Man’ (2005).
His work in writing is also part of the programme’s stated context. The event page lists his books ‘Of Walking in Ice’, published in Italian by Guanda in 1978, ‘Conquest of the Useless’, published by Mondadori in 2007, and ‘The Twilight World’, published by Feltrinelli in 2021. The description presents the lecture as an occasion to share ideas and reflections developed over the course of his long career, rather than as a screening or retrospective.
Ferrario, who will lead the post-lecture conversation, was born in Casalmaggiore in 1956. He began as a film critic and cultural organiser before making films shown at international festivals, including ‘Tutti giù per terra’ (1997) and ‘After Midnight’ (2004). In recent years, he has focused particularly on documentary, with works including ‘The Road to Levi’ and ‘Umberto Eco. The Library of the World’, while also working as a writer, essayist and creator of photographic and artistic projects. ‘Werner Herzog: Work in progress’ takes place on 9 September 2026 at Triennale Milano, where registration is currently closed because the event is sold out.
