Angela Rui is an internationally renowned design curator and researcher with a multidisciplinary background spanning from curating to writing and mentoring, with over 15 years of experience in curating in the field of design culture.
She currently holds the position of Global Scientific Lead of Design at IED, where she is contributing to the development of DesignXCommons, a design observatory exploring the potential of design as a tool for recognising the role of commons and collaborative practices in regenerating social systems.
She has curated several exhibitions and events, including: ‘Time is Present. Designing the Common”, the 4th edition of the Porto Design Biennale, which explores design practices that value relational, collaborative and qualitative dimensions of shared experience; “ITALY: A New Collective Landscape” (ADI Design Museum, Milan 2023; HKDI Gallery, Hong Kong 2024; Italian Pavilion Expo2010, Shanghai 2024), which underlined new trajectories of Italian design in relation to collective and territorial dimensions; and “AQUARIA. Or the Illusion of a Boxed Sea” (Maat, Lisbon 2021) alongside the book “The Aquarium is a Listening Glass” (Humboldt Books, 2024), investigated the relationship between culture and design in the context of ecology and the representation of marine ecosystems. She also co-curated “I See That I See What You Not See,” the Dutch participation for “Broken Nature” – XXII Triennale di Milano (2019) and “Faraway So Close” – the 25th Ljubljana Design Biennial (2017).
She has taught in the Social Design and GEO-Design master’s programs at Design Academy Eindhoven (NL), sharing her vision of design as a tool for social transformation. Her pedagogical contribution extends to the University of Design of San Marino, the Nuova Accademia Belle Arti Milano (NABA), and the Faculty of Design at the Politecnico del Design.

Her writings have been published on Abitare magazine, Domus, Icon Design, Pinup, Riposte, Vogue, TLmag, Terraforma Journal, Flashart Italia, Lotus. She lectured at the Bauhaus Dessau, Free University of Bozen – Faculty of Design, MAXXI (Rome), Triennale Milano, ENSAD (Paris), USI Academy of Architecture (Mendrisio), Re-Earth – Fondazione Pistoletto (Biella), Mudec (Milan), IUAV (Venezia), Domus Academy (Milan).