Venice Architecture Biennale: the topics of the 17th edition

Hashim Sarkis presents the International Architecture Exhibition, entitled “How we will live together?”, held in Venice from August 29. 

The 17th International Architecture Exhibition will be held from August 29 to November 29 in Venice, at Giardini and Arsenale. Lebanese architect Hashim Sarkis will be the curator for the edition titled “How will we live together?”, while Roberto Cicutto replaced Paolo Baratta at the presidency. Today, during the online presentation, Paolo Baratta asks what an architecture exhibition means: it’s a dialogue among architects, he explains, but also a way to make the public a careful visitor, feeding the desire of architecture.

MAEID [Büro für Architektur und transmediale Kunst], “Excavation Area,” Magic Queen [from the series Artificial Ecologies], 2020.

©MAEID (Mitterberger, Derme)

Osbourne Macharia, “GIKOSH: Example of Photographic art projects involving the creative Millenial within the informal settlements in Nairobi,” Keja,” 2019.  

Courtesy Osbourne Macharia

Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture, “Stone Garden North Façade,” Stone Garden under construction a year ago, 2020.  

© Takuji Shimmura

Han Tümertekin, View of the ferry market in Istanbul, 2019.  

Photo Sena Özfiliz, 3d editing: Ali Gürer and Zeynep Tümertekin

PRÁCTICA, “River Somes, Urban Beach,” River Somes: Across Communities and Ecosystems, 2017-ongoing.  

Courtesy PRÁCTICA

Arquitectura Expandida, La Casa de la Lluvia [de ideas] /The House of the Rain [of ideas], a cultural and environmental community space, La Cecilia neighborhood, San Cristóbal District, Bogotá D.C. Self-building process. 2012-ongoing.  

Courtesy Arcquitectura Expandida

raumlabor, “imaginary of a multiple use in haus der statistik - a collective civic reinvention of a disused gdr govenment building in central berlin” 2015-20.  

Courtesy raumlabor

Leong Leong, “View from Santa Monica Boulevard with Adminstrative Offices to the left and Youth Housing to the right,” Anita May Rosenstein Campus, 2019.  

Courtesy Iwan Baan

TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, TUMO Paris, 2018.  

© Forum des Images

Enlace Arquitectura, “Compendium of Sixty Species,” Ethnobotanical dictionary of plants from gardens in La Palomera, produced as part of the program Integration Process Caracas, 2018-20.  

hoto: Jaeson Montilla, Gabriel Nass. Image edition: Jaeson Montilla, Sergio Dos Santos, Gabriela Álvarez. Courtesy Enlace Arcquitectura

doxiadis +, “Growing,” Entangled Kingdoms, 2019-20.  

Courtesy doxiadis +

SOM, “Moon Village Earth Rise,” Life Beyond Earth, 2020. 

Courtesy SOM | Slashcube GmbH

Rural Urban Framework, “Video collage by day – dug-out house on the bottom, Chinese landscape on the top,” Split Lives: Stories from the Underground House, 2020.  

Courtesy Rural Urban Framework

Bureau of Engineering, Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc. / HNTB Corporation, “City of Los Angeles,” Sixth Street Viaduct.  

Courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture  

Bureau of Engineering, Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc. / HNTB Corporation, “City of Los Angeles,” Sixth Street Viaduct.  

Courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture

Dogma, “You always seemed so sure that one day we’d be fighting,” The Opposite Shore, 2016-19.  

Courtesy Dogma

Angelo Bucci, Satellights over São Paolo, 2019.  

Courtesy Angelo Bucci

Angelo Bucci, Satellights over São Paolo, 2019.  

Courtesy Angelo Bucci

Hashim Sarkis, after a team presentation, introduces the topics of the Architecture Biennale. The curator explains the title of the exhibition: “how” means looking for concrete solutions, “will” is the power of architecture, “we” is referred to people, “live” is not simply to exist but to flourish, “together” involves universal values, and the question mark symbolizes an open question made by generations about climate change and inequalities.  

The 17th Architecture Exhibition in Venice will work at different scales: body, city and plan, with a total of 114 projects from all around the world. Organized as usual in two locations, Arsenale and Giardini, the Biennale will be divided by teams and topics. Arsenale will present architecture in human body, including technology; the second part will be dedicated to demography, with projects made for high density in cities and to provide alternative ways to reorganize spaces; the third part, prepared by universities, will include for example digital education. Giardini will be divided in two teams: the first one talks about boundaries – political and geographic, including Amazon, oceans and a look on infrastructures. The second one is related to the future of the planet.