Modernism and its doubles

The South African pavilion interprets the theme of the 14. Architecture Biennale underlining the relationship between architecture and the political history of the country.

South Africa, Architecture Biennale, 2014

Curated by Jean-Pierre de la Porte and Lemaseya Khama, one a prominent figure in the South African cultural establishment the other an architect working in the field of research, the pavilion represents, in response to the theme "Absorbing Modernity 1914-2014", a chance for an initial reflection on the significance of the urban and architectural transformations that have taken place in South Africa during the twentieth century in the light of historic events that span a century and the key moments in moving from one political condition to another.

Seeping through this exploration is an omnipresent double register, particularly with respect to the period 1961–1994, on the one hand is an eclectic Modernism that absorbs and reworks every possible new form gathered from all manner of avant-garde European architecture, on the other an existing historical superstructure linked to the preceding period and the time of apartheid that ended in 1994.

Modernism and its doubles, Sudafrica, Biennale 2014 — Modernism and its doubles, South Africa, Architecture Biennale, 2014

The heart of the pavilion is a space where static images of the South African city today are layered with the faces of young people from the first post-apartheid generation who describe their personal perception of this ambiguous and complex stratification of the cities in which they live.

Modernism and its doubles, Sudafrica, Biennale Architettura 2014 — Modernism and its doubles, South Africa, Architecture Biennale, 2014

South Africa
Modernism and its doubles
Commissioner: Saul Molobi
Curators: Jean-Pierre de la Porte, Lemaseya Khama
Exhibition project: Lemaseya Khama
Location: Sale d’Armi Nord, Arsenale

Until 23 November 2014
14. Biennale di Architettura
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Arsenale, Venice

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Modernism and its doubles

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