The top 30 happenings at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale
Reporting from the Front
Curated by Chilean 2016 Pritzker Prize winner Alejandro Aravena, the Venice Architecture Biennale’s flagship will address trends from around the globe, exploring architecture’s relationship with civil society. Some 70 participants include Alexander Brodsky, Assemble, Kéré Architecture (pictured) and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. Accompanying it is the Pavilion of Applied Arts project ‘A World of Fragile Parts’ – a special collaboration between La Biennale di Venezia and the V&A that will investigate the threats facing the preservation of global heritage sites.
Arsenale, Castello, 30122
Belligerent Eyes | 5K Confinement
This show at the Fondazione Prada explores spatial themes in a creative way. Conceived and designed by architect Luigi Alberto Cippini and developed in collaboration with film director Giovanni Fantoni Modena, it transforms the foundation’s Venetian space into an experimental media research facility.
Fondzione Prada, Calle Corner Della Regina, 2215, 30135 Santa Croce
Venice Design 2016
Looking at design through an architectural lens, this show explores the role products play in our daily surroundings. Displays include work by participants from 17 countries. Contributors include Alessandro Mendini and Paul Kelley (whose work is pictured here).
European Cultural Centre, Palazzo Michiel, Campo Santi Apostoli, 30124
Scotland + Venice: Prospect North
Looking at its most innovative community projects, this exhibition celebrates Scotland’s 2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design. The 18 projects examined in the show were put together by Lateral North, Dualchas Architects and Soluis, co-curated by Architecture and Design Scotland.
Santa Maria Ausiliatrice (Ludoteca), Castello 450 (Fondamenta S Gioacchin)
The Forests of Venice
Located in an 1894 greenhouse, between the Arsenale and Giardini, this show looks at Venice’s – and many coastal cities’ – future in a time of climate change and rising sea levels. Curator Jan Åman drew inspiration from the fact that Venice was built ’on the foundations of ten million trees’.
Serra dei Giardini, Castello, 1254 (viale Giuseppe Garibaldi)
Resistance
Álvaro Siza, Amanda Levete, Bijoy Jain, Elemental and Mia Hägg have been invited by experimentadesign to participate in a show the investigates the concept of ‘resistance’. Working with marble and limestone, the architects are challenged by the restrictions and qualities of Portuguese stone.
Villa Hériot, Giudecca Island
The Horizontal Metropolis: a radical project
Juxtaposing the traditional shape of a metropolis with the idea of horizontality, this exhibition on a separate island in the Venetian lagoon looks at how an urban environment can develop its infrastructure and relations beyond the conventional vertical format.
Isola della Certosa
Building in Paris
The Espace Louis Vuitton Venezia will host a special show by Frank Gehry with the participation of Daniel Buren. The displays will explore the famous architect’s work at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris through a selection of scale models.
Espace Louis Vuitton Venezia, Calle del Ridotto 1353, 30124
Time Space Existence
Bringing together the work of over 100 architects from six different continents under the same roof – those of three Venetian palazzi to be precise – ’Time Space Existence’ is back for the second time during the Biennale. Displays include presentations by architects such as Peter Eisenman, Denise Scott Brown, Design Haus Liberty, Form4 Architecture (pictured) and Gus Wüstemann.
Palazzo Bembo (Rialto Bridge), Palazzo Mora (Strada Nova) and Palazzo Rossini (Campo Manin)
Zaha Hadid
This is the first Venice Architecture Biennale since the great Dame’s untimely passing and the Fondazione Berengo is marking the moment by hosting a retrospective exhibition of the architect’s work. The show will take the visitor on a journey through seminal paintings, drawings and models drawn from Hadid’s career.
Palazzo Franchetti, Campo Santo Stefano, San Marco, 2847, 30124
Bauer Hotels
The ultra chic Bauer in Venice’s San Marco becomes a key hub for exciting events and parties during the Biennale. Offerings include the Daata Editions by David Gryn, a showcase of artworks by Tracey Emin, Michael Manning, Rashaad Newsome, Jacolby Satterwhite, Sara Ludy, Jonathan Monaghan and Quayola, selected by bitforms gallery.
Bauer Palazzo, San Marco, 1459, 30124
Across Chinese Cities – China House Vision
Part of the international program ‘Across Chinese Cities’, organised and promoted by Beijing Design Week, this exhibition explores today’s urban conditions across China. Looking specifically – although by no means exclusively – into housing issues, the show addresses wider cultural and historic aspects affecting architecture in the country.
Ca’ Tron, Santa Croce, 1957–30135
Irish Pavilion: ’Losing Myself’
‘Losing Myself’, a collaboration between Níall McLaughlin and Yeoryia Manolopoulou, approaches the sensitive topic of Alzheimer’s, a disease affecting navigation, orientation and memory. The Pavilion imagines the Alzheimer’s Respite Centre in Dublin through the eyes of an Alzheimer’s sufferer, presenting a series of architectural solutions based on their relationship with the structure, and their experience and perception of it. The national pavilions for the Baltic countries, China, Chile, Mexico Italy, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey and the UAE can also be found at the Arsenale.
Arsenale, Castello, 30122
New Zealand Pavilion: ’Future Islands’
New Zealand’s second national exhibition at the Biennale presents the country’s architecture as a series of metaphorical islands. Created by Charles Walker – director of Colab, AUT’s multidisciplinary research institution – the exhibition’s structure is inspired by Italo Calvino’s famous novel, Invisible Cities, which explores 55 fictional metropoles. ‘Future Islands’ presents 55 projects that showcase a selection of multi-faceted contemporary architectural responses created by New Zealand’s leading practices.
Palazzo Bollani, Castello, 3647
Nigerian Pavilion: ’Diminished Capacity’
‘Diminished Capacity’, Nigeria’s first ever participation at the Venice Biennale, sets out to examine the country’s past and the pressing need to rewrite history in order to move forward. The misunderstanding of Africa being frequently labelled as a ’country’ permeates the exhibit’s themes of identity, form and structure. Artist and architect Ola-Dele Kuku is the curator, presenting works on micro and macro global changes, migration and the diminished capacity of countries. More notable newcomers in this year’s Biennale include the Seychelles, the Philippines and Yemen.
Spazio PUNCH – Giudecca 800/o, 30133
Philippines Pavilion: ’Muhon: Traces of an Adolescent City’
The Filipino word ’muhon’ (translated roughly as ‘monument’ or ‘place-marker’) is the theme for the Philippines’ debut at the Biennale. Curated by Leandro V Locsin Partners, the exhibit examines Manila’s growth since its decimation during the Second World War and highlights architectural happenings in the city.
European Cultural Center, Palazzo Mora, Strada Nuova, 3659
Australian Pavilion: ’The Pool’
One of Australia’s greatest symbols, the swimming pool, will form the country’s national pavilion. Curated by Amelia Holliday and Isabelle Toland (of Aileen Sage Architects) with Michelle Tabet and presented by the Australian Institute of Architects, ‘The Pool’ will explore Australian cultural identity through a series of stories, narratives and architectural projects.
Giardini, Sestiere Castello, 30122
Belgian Pavilion: ’Bravoure’
Centered around the theme of craftsmanship, the Flanders Architecture Institute (VAi) presents ‘Bravoure’, named after the musical term for an execution with excellent technical control, and unique vigour and personality. Explaining how the term transcends into the realm of architecture, the VAi presents 13 projects from 13 firms.
Giardini, Sestiere Castello, 30122
Danish Pavilion: ’Art of Many and the Right to Space’
The Danish contribution to this year’s Biennale will showcase the way in which Danish practices concentrate on creating architecture, aiming to reach communities and enable social institutions. The Danish Ministry of Culture has selected the Danish Architecture Centre and curators Boris Brorman Jensen and Kristoffer Lindhardt Weiss to oversee the country’s contribution.
Giardini, Sestiere Castello, 30122
French Pavilion: ’New Riches’
Obras-Frédéric Bonnet teamed with the Collectif AJAP14 to commission the French national project, which calls on landscape professionals, photographers, videographers and architects. The show approaches the topic of everyday life in urban, industrial or rural contexts and how architecture can enlighten these locations.
Giardini, Sestiere Castello, 30122
British Pavilion: ’Home Economics’
Commissioned by the British Council, this year’s British Pavilion – curated by Shumi Bose, Jack Self and Finn Williams – looks at the future of housing, breaking down the use of the modern home in sections dedicated to ’Hours’, ’Days’, ’Months’, ’Years’ and ’Decades’. ’Home Economics’ touches on themes of community, economics, time and sharing.
Giardini, Sestiere Castello, 30122
Japanese Pavilion: ’Art of Nexus’
Japan’s high rate of youth unemployment, inequality and poverty led to a turning point and a social and cultural renaissance, say the curators of the Japanese Pavilion. Curated by Yoshiyuki Yamana, ‘The Art of Nexus’ presents four themes that aim to prove that, even though faced with difficulties, the country will present an opportunity for repair and growth through architectural solutions.
Giardini, Sestiere Castello, 30122
Korean Pavilion: ’The FAR Game – Constraints Sparking Creativity’
This show was conceived in response to the country’s architectural challenges in creating new solutions within limited space and plenty of regulatory constraints. Curated by Sung Hong Kim and presented by Arts Council Korea, ’FAR’ – standing for ’Floor Area Ratio’ – will examine the achievements and complications that come with designing with space restrictions through a series of 72 large models and blueprints of 36 buildings.
Giardini, Sestiere Castello, 30122
Nordic Pavilion: ’In Therapy: Nordic Countries Face to Face’
The Nordic countries exhibit, curated by David Basulto, aims to embody the spirit of their cultures through nine projects around three central themes: recognition, belonging and foundational requirements.
Giardini, Sestiere Castello, 30122
Swiss Pavilion: ’Incidental Space’
This year’s Swiss Pavilion was conceived by architect Christian Kerez, who exhibits his research into architecture’s everyday condition. The project – commissioned by Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia’s head of visual arts, Marianne Burki and Sandi Paucic, project manager for Swiss contributions to the Biennale – aims to explore the borders of possibility within architectural design.
Giardini, Sestiere Castello, 30122
Dutch Pavilion: ’BLUE – Architecture of UN Peacekeeping Missions’
Curated by Malkit Shoshan in collaboration with Het Nieuwe Instituut, the Dutch Pavilion centres around a case study of the Camp Castor in Gao, Mali, where the UN is carrying out a peacekeeping mission. Uniting architecture and human rights, the colour blue is used as a metaphor throughout the exhibition.
Giardini, Sestiere Castello, 30122
USA Pavilion: ’The Architectural Imagination’
The USA’s contribution to the Biennale, curated by Cynthia Davidson and Mónica Ponce de León, is a range of speculative architectural proposals for regeneration in Detroit. The 12 projects, created by 22 American architects, revolve around four sites and showcase a wide range of innovative ideas.
Giardini, Sestiere Castello, 30122
Architecture Ukraine – Beyond the Front
This exhibition, organized by Izolyatsia, looks at urban areas in places of ongoing conflict. Focusing on different cities as case studies, the show seeks to examine ‘anthropological, economical, social and cultural history, while analysing social and geographical boundaries that limit or expand the cities’ dynamics’.
Spazio Ridotto, San Marco, 1388 (calle del Ridotto)
German Pavilion: ’Making Heimat’
Commissioned by the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM), this show instigates a conversation on migration in Germany. Posing questions such as, ’How do newcomers become socially integrated citizens?’ and ’How can architecture and urban design contribute to this process?’, the projects selected by DAM investigate the frameworks which will be placed in German arrival cites to support immigrants to settle and become a part of society.
Giardini, Sestiere Castello, 30122
Aftermath_Catalonia In Venice: Architecture Beyond Architects
This official collateral biennale event is curated by architects Jaume Prat and Jelena Prokopljevi and film director Isaki Lacuesta for the Institut Ramon Llull. Seven audiovisual installations depict architectural interventions to public spaces that help improve the user’s relationship with the urban, social and natural environment.
Cantieri Navali, Fondamenta Quintavalle, Castello 40