Venice Architecture Biennale 2021: understand what the event will be like this year

The 17th International Architecture Exhibition "How Will We Live Together?" is set to open to the public in person from May 22 to November 21 , 2021. Organized by the Venice International Architecture Biennale , the exhibition has been postponed by a year – initially, It was scheduled to take place between August and November 2020. In compensation, the 59th Art Biennial , which was supposed to take place later this year, was postponed to 2022. The event, which will be curated by Cecilia Alemani , will take place between April 23 and November 27 , 2022. Regarding the Biennale di Architettura , architect and exhibition curator Hashim Sarkis states: "we need a new spatial contract . In the context of growing political divisions and economic inequalities, we ask architects to imagine spaces in which we can live together generously ."

Who will participate?

To reflect on the theme, 110 participants from 46 countries will represent the international community at the Biennale – especially from Africa, Latin America and Asia. In addition, the edition will have 63 national participants , who will exhibit in the Giardini, Arsenale and the historic center of Venice. Four countries are participating in the Biennale for the first time: the Republic of Azerbaijan, Grenada, Iraq and Uzbekistan. "It will be interesting to see how each participant, in such an unusual year, managed to look beyond their own national borders , mainly through discussions and meetings on digital platforms, and how these initiatives will then be absorbed into the design and realization of the exhibitions and pavilions," commented Sarkis. In a statement, the event's organizers explained: " Biennale Architettura 2021 is motivated by the new problems that the world is placing before architecture, but it is also inspired by the emerging activism of young architects and the radical revisions that are being proposed to face these issues. challenges. More than ever, architects are called to propose alternatives ."

Where will the Biennale be?

As is now traditional, the exhibition will be organized between the Giardini Central Pavilion and the Arsenale . The two spaces are independent but complementary at the same time, in the sense that they are part of the same exhibition. Organized in five stops between the Arsenale and the Giardini, the exhibition also presents large installations connected to one of the five stops, which will be exhibited in the external areas of the pavilions .

Satellite events

The Architecture Biennale will also feature 17 satellite events, alternative to the main exhibition at the Giardini and Arsenale . Organized at various points throughout the city of Venice, the parallel exhibitions present a wide range of projects and participations that enrich the pluralism of voices and distinguish the show from Venice.

Online exhibition

On Monday, April 12, the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale will be presented live on the exhibition’s official website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The broadcast starts at 2:00 p.m. and will give you a taste of what to expect at the official opening, which will take place on Saturday, April 12. takes place on Saturday, May 22nd. Additionally, since November, the Biennale has been launching a series of podcasts in English with the exhibition’s curator , Hashim Sarkis, in which he shares his thoughts and reflections on the Venice exhibition and its history. The episodes are available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. The virtual journey of the exhibition can also be experienced through a soundtrack made available on the official Spotify profile. The playlist contains a song, tune or composition chosen by the participants that inspired them in the creation of their project and represents their professional identity . The exhibition, when opened, it can be visited to the sound of this same personalized soundtrack.