Wang Shu and
Lu Wenyu, founders of the
Amateur Architecture Studio, have been appointed as the curators of the 20th International Architecture Exhibition of the
Venice Architecture Biennale. The event is scheduled to begin on May 8 and remain on display until November 21, 2027, in the traditional spaces of Giardini and Arsenale. The choice of the new curatorial leaders was approved by the Board of Directors of the Biennale upon the proposal of president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco. Thus, Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu become the
first Chinese individuals to take on the role, as well as the
second duo to officially share the leadership of the exhibition. In an official statement, the professionals stated: “In today’s world, the rapid and multiple changes in architecture are more a phenomenon of appearance, resulting from
excessive conceptualization or rampant commercialization. Conceptual experiments taken to the extreme often distance themselves from reality, and excessive commercialization tends to be merely popular and ephemeral. For this reason, in light of the real crisis of this world, insisting on a
simple and true architectural concept and method has special value.”
Careers of Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu
(La Biennale di Venezia by ASAC- Matteo Losurdo/Divulgação)
The journey of Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu is marked by the continuous advocacy of
construction linked to the territory, to
manual labor, and the
symbolic value of everyday materials — pillars that have shaped their work since the 1990s. Unlike urban models based on the total replacement of the existing, the Amateur Architecture Studio works with processes that involve
restoration,
reuse, and techniques that directly engage with the experiences of
local communities. This commitment is reflected in their refusal to treat
vernacular techniques or reclaimed materials as mere aesthetic resources. For the duo, such elements serve as
structural counterweights in a global landscape where demolition and accelerated reconstruction dictate the rhythm of cities. The presence of the studio at the Venice Architecture Biennale is already longstanding: the duo first participated in
2006, returned in
2010 under the curation of Kazuyo Sejima — when they received Honorable Mention for the installation
Decadence of a Dome — and again joined the exhibition in
2016 at the invitation of Alejandro Aravena. Outside of Venice, their projects have gained
international recognition, including the Ningbo Historical Museum, the Xiangshan Campus, the renovation of Wencun Village, the National Archive of Publications and Culture in Hangzhou, the Tile Hill, and the Fuyang Cultural Complex. The duo’s work has also been featured in institutions such as the
MoMA, the
Pompidou Center, and the
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. In 2012, Wang Shu received the
Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Venice Architecture Biennale 2027
The 2027 edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale is scheduled to take place
from May 8 to November 21, with pre-openings set for May 6 and 7. Although the central theme and the curatorial text have not yet been announced, the initial statement from the duo suggests that the upcoming exhibition should focus on essential questions:
rooted architectural processes,
practices that value the simple, and a
close relationship with the constructed space.
