As one of the most important and visited contemporary architecture exhibitions worldwide, the Venice Architecture Biennale extends beyond the grounds of the Giardini and the Arsenale, and at Forte Marghera to engage the whole city in discussing relevant issues, challenges, and opportunities of the architectural profession. To explore more diverse perspectives of the overarching theme, “Africa: The Laboratory of the Future,” 9 collateral events have been officially announced as part of the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia.
The events, which are admitted by curator Lesley Lokko and promoted by non-profit national and international bodies and institutions, take place in several locations scattered around the city. They offer a wide range of contributions and participations that contribute to the diversity of voices represented at the exhibition in Venice.
Discover the 9 Collateral Events scheduled for the 18th International Architecture Exhibition, along with their respective dates and locations.
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Docks Cantieri Cucchini, San Pietro di Castello 40
May 20 – November 26, 2023
Commissioned by the Scotland + Venice partnership, the exhibition aims to re-establish a dialogue with the natural world in hopes of finding a more reciprocal connection with the land. By paying attention to the relationship between land and language, the curators challenge writers, artists, and architects to initiate a closer correspondence with landscapes such as the forests around Loch Ness or the seashore of the Orkney archipelago. Through these creative explorations, a new lexicon of terms and definitions begins to take shape, prompting visitors to continue to imagine alternative ways of working sensitively with the land rather than simply on it. The creative team behind the exhibition consists of the Architecture Fringe, -ism and /other.
Catalonia in Venice_ Following the Fish
Docks Cantieri Cucchini, San Pietro di Castello 40A
May 20 – November 26, 2023
In response to Lesley Lokko’s theme of signaling Africa as a protagonist for future innovation, the curators Daniel Cid, Eva Serrats, and Francesc Pla (Leve) aim to draw attention to African realities in Europe. The project focuses on the perspective of the African diaspora in Catalonia, addressing the challenges of decolonization and decarbonization. Organized and produced by Institut Ramon Lull, the exhibition was developed through a design process based on conversations and co-creation workshops to explore the migrant experience, as well as opportunities to rethink urban spaces and fight for an urban design that is fair and equal.
Climate Wunderkammer
IUAV Palazzo Badoer ground floor – Calle de la Laca, San Polo 2468
May 20 – November 26, 2023
Imagined as an immersive multi-sensory experience, the exhibition strives to make visible the impact of climate change while sharing practical solutions to address and adapt to it. Organized by RWTH Aachen University, it consists of a hybrid physical and virtual interactive installation. Through this medium, it shares the narratives and experiences of the students of the participating universities. By highlighting the experience of young generations, the exhibition aims to “make the invisible visible” by comparing before and after the climate event hit our regions, communities, and places.
Diachronic Apparatuses of Taiwan
Palazzo delle Prigioni, Castello 4209
May 20 – November 26, 2023
Organized as a collateral event by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, the Taiwanese Pavilion set out to explore and display how locals throughout Taiwanese history have used their intuition and site-specific knowledge to shape their environment. The theme of the exhibition suggests that learning from past methodologies can create a basis for the development of new and efficient contextual approaches to counter future climate-related challenges. The exhibition space in the Palazzo delle Prigioni is divided into four zones, “Landscape Documents,” “Threshold Corridor,” “Video Projection,” and “Studio Propositions,” with soundscapes of Taiwan integrated into the experience throughout.
EUmies Awards. Young Talent 2023. The Laboratory of Education
Palazzo Mora, Cannaregio 3659
May 20 – November 26, 2023
Under the title EUmies Awards. Young Talent 2023. The Laboratory of Education, Young Talent 2023 is part of the official Collateral Events of this year’s Biennale Architettura with an exhibition and hosting the EUmies Awards Day with the Awards Ceremony and debates. Organized by the Fundació Mies van der Rohe as part of the EUmies Awards, the Young Talent category aims to support and promote the talent of recently graduated architects, urban planners, and landscape architects.
Radical yet possible future space solutions
May 25, 2023 at IUAV Ca’ Tron, Santa Croce 1957
May 26, 2023 at IUAV aula magna Tolentini, Santa Croce 191
The New European Bauhaus will present “Radical yet possible future space solutions”, a Collateral Event organized as a conference designed as a radical, intellectual, and practical laboratory of the future, following the overarching theme of the Biennale. The event brings together experts, students, and visitors to experiment, discover and design future solutions, new ways of living, and better use of space and resources. On the first day, following two masterclasses by architects, six groups of experts and students will join parallel discussions in the ‘Radical NEB Labs’, to work towards collective solutions for a sustainable future. On the second day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will kick off a series of interdisciplinary debates involving some of the most recognized architects of our time and international experts from several fields.
Students as Researchers: Creative Practice and University Education
Centro Studi e Documentazione della Cultura Armena, Dorsoduro 1602
May 20 – November 26, 2023
The event, organized by New York Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Design, presents a series of installations and exhibits showcasing the works of students exploring the inevitable environmental revolution in connection to the well-being of future generations. A virtual exhibition section titled “Knowledge Transfer” within CITYX Venice and Metrotopia Metaverse platforms with Zaha Hadid Architects augments the physical Collateral Event’s Exhibition to bring a unique perspective connecting research, design, and practice. The “Global Mass – Living Mass. Beyond Artificiality: Living Materials” is the composite and multimedia installation of the assembly of the work carried out by the students of the participating universities, while the physical exhibition titled “University Dialogs” embodies the creative practices and processes developed in global contexts.
Transformative Hong Kong
Campo della Tana, Castello 2126
May 20 – November 26, 2023
Jointly organized by The Hong Kong Institute of Architects Biennale Foundation and Hong Kong Arts Development Council, with The Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA) as a Partner, the “Transformative Hong Kong” Exhibition set out to explore critical territorial, architectural, and urban spaces issues facing Hong Kong’s future. As the city is being transformed by mega-projects such as The Northern Metropolis and the East Lantau Metropolis, and innovations like the Modular Integrated Construction (MiC), the exhibition highlights this metamorphosis to reveal a city in a constant state of flux.
Tracé Bleu - Que faire en ce lieu, à moins que l’on y songe?
Campiello Santa Maria Nova 6024
May 20 – November 26, 2023
The exhibition is organized by CA’ASI, an independent company with Italian headquarters, aimed at promoting dialogue around contemporary architecture through exhibitions and seminars that engage young architects and artists.
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