Chicago Architecture Biennial announces curatorial theme for 2019 edition
The Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) has announced the curatorial theme for the 2019 edition which will be: ‘…and other such stories’. The theme looks beyond architecture into an exploration of the conditions that affect it, through an expansive, research-led and global approach.
With its main exhibition hub at the Chicago Cultural Center, the third edition of the Biennial will ripple across the city between 19 September 2019 and 5 January 2020. Look out for its punchy new graphic identity designed by Los Angeles-based design studio, ELLA.
While CAB's home city provides much inspiration for the theme, this year it moves beyond the revered architectural heritage of the city to uncover the conditions at play that shape the built environment. Expect multiple disciplines beyond architecture to be addressed, such as visual arts, policymaking, education, and activism.
Yesomi Umolu, artistic director, and Todd Palmer, biennial executive director at the Chicago Architecture Biennial.
The theme draws from the city-wide and global curatorial process established by the team led by Umolu, and co-curators Sepake Angiama, whose work centres on education, and Paulo Tavares, a Brazil-based architect and academic. ‘Our approach to this edition of the biennial has evolved through conversations with architects, spatial practitioners, and everyday people in Chicago and other global locations, including through partnerships fostered in our research initiatives in the cities of São Paulo, Johannesburg, and Vancouver,’ says Yesomi Umolu, artistic director.
Four curatorial areas of inquiry will segment the biennial: No Land Beyond; Appearances and Erasures; Rights and Reclamation; and Common Ground. These will dig deeper into the theme-crossing issues including indigenous approaches to landscape, monuments and memorials, and civic purpose in architectural practice.
‘We are thrilled that this year’s curatorial focus will open up the architectural conversation on key sociopolitical and environmental issues that shape our present reality and introduce new voices and perspectives. Through the dialogue they catalyse, we expect this Biennial to inform a collectively imagined future,’ says Todd Palmer, biennial executive director.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Chicago Architecture Biennial website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.
-
Junya Ishigami designs at Maniera Gallery are as ethereal as his architecture
Junya Ishigami presents new furniture at Maniera Gallery in Belgium (until 31 August 2024), following the series' launch during Milan Design Week
By Ellie Stathaki
-
Reciprocal House offers an unusual case of a London extension
Reciprocal House by Gianni Botsford replaces a north London Victorian structure, preserving its early Norman Foster extension and bringing the whole to the 21st century
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Utilitarian men’s fashion that will elevate your everyday
From Prada to Margaret Howell, utilitarian and workwear-inspired men’s fashion gets an upgrade for S/S 2024
By Jack Moss Published
-
Shigeru Ban’s mini Paper Log House welcomed at The Glass House
'Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House' is shown at The Glass House in New Canaan, USA as the house museum of American architect Philip Johnson plays host to the Japanese architect’s model temporary home concept
By Adrian Madlener Published
-
Ray Phoenix to rise in Arizona
Ray Phoenix housing project launches, designed by Johnston Marklee, who worked with Lamar Johnson Collaborative, for property experts Ray and Vela
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A low-energy farmhouse provides a rural escape in North Carolina
This low-energy farmhouse is a net zero architectural re-set for a Californian client, an East Coast relocation for a more engaged and low-key lifestyle
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A Petra Island house rises from Frank Lloyd Wright's original drawings
Based on Frank Lloyd Wright drawings, the cantilevering Petra Island Massaro House, located in New York’s Hudson Valley, is now open to visitors
By Craig Kellogg Published
-
An Upper West Side apartment by General Assembly nods to its history
An Upper West Side apartment in New York, born out of the reimagining of two neighbouring units, is refreshed by General Assembly for a young family
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
New York's Leica store echoes the brand's blend of heritage and innovation
Leica store throws open its doors in New York's Meatpacking District, courtesy of Brooklyn based Format Architecture Office
By Adrian Madlener Published
-
Hudson Valley Residence is a low-lying retreat that seamlessly blends into the horizon
Designed by HGX Design, Hudson Valley Residence is a scenic home offering unobstructed views across the Catskill Mountains in Upstate New York
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Boise Passive House’s bold gestures support an environmentally friendly design
Boise Passive House by Haas Architecture combines sleek, contemporary design and environmental efficiency
By Ellie Stathaki Published