La Biennale di Venezia Reveals Participants of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition

Written by Christele Harrouk
Published on February 28, 2020

The 17th International Architecture Exhibition, organized by La Biennale di Venezia will be open to the public from the 23^rd of May till the 29^th of November 2020. Entitled How will we live together? and curated by Hashim Sarkis, the exhibition’s pre-opening will take place on the 21^st and the 22^nd of May, while the awards ceremony and inauguration will be held on the 23^rd of May 2020.

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In a conference held on the 27th of February 2020, La Biennale di Venezia presented the participants in the International Exhibition as well as the program. Located between the Central Pavilion at the Giardini, the Arsenale, and Forte Marghera, the exhibition will host 114 participants from 46 countries, and researchers out of competition on the themes of the Exhibition, developed by universities around the world. Organized in five scales, the Exhibition also presents large installations placed in the external spaces of the Arsenale and the Giardini.

There has been a constant theme over the years the social advantages which Architecture can catalyze. As we have often said, Architecture makes us more aware individuals; it helps us become citizens, not just consumers; it stimulates us to consider the indirect effects of our actions; it helps us understand more fully the importance of public goods and of free goods. It helps us develop a more all-around vision of welfare. […] And lastly, Architecture helps us to conserve resources and to give ourselves a modicum of happiness.
— Paolo Baratta

For the fifth consecutive year, La Biennale di Venezia and the Victoria and Albert Museum, in London will present British Mosques, looking at the self-built and often undocumented world of adapted mosques, in collaboration with author and architect Shahed Saleem. Moreover, How will we play together? is the project devoted to children’s play at Forte Marghera, presented by five architects and an architectural photographer.

With 63 National Participations in the historic Pavilions at the Giardini, at the Arsenale and in the historic city center of Venice, the 2020 edition will also showcase newcomers from Grenada, Iraq, and Uzbekistan.

Hashim Sarkis Photo by Jacopo Salvi. Image Courtesy of La Biennale di Venezia

The question, “How will we live together?” is as much a social and political question as a spatial one. Aristotle asked it when he was defining politics, and he came back to propose the model of the city. Every generation asks it and answers it differently. More recently rapidly changing social norms, growing political polarization, climate change, and vast global inequalities are making us ask this question more urgently and at different scales than before. In parallel, the weakness of the political models being proposed today compels us to put space first and, perhaps like Aristotle, look at the way architecture shapes inhabitation for potential models for how we could live together.
— Hashim Sarkis

For the full statement of Paolo Baratta and Hashim Sarkis, check the Biennale’s website. Read on for the full list of the 114 participants to the Venice Biennale 2021's International Exhibition:

Among Diverse Beings (Arsenale)

1. Allan Wexler Studio (New York, USA) Allan Wexler
2. Ani Liu (New York, USA)
3. Azra Aksamija (Cambridge, USA)
4. FABER FUTURES (London, UK) Natsai Audrey Chieza
5. Lucy McRae (Los Angeles, USA)
6. MAEID [Büro für Architektur und transmediale Kunst] (Vienna, Austria) Daniela Mitterberger; Tiziano Derme
7. Modem (Oakland, USA) Nicholas de Monchaux; Kathryn Moll
8. Parsons & Charlesworth (Chicago, USA) Tim Parsons; Jessica Charlesworth
9. Peju Alatise (Lagos, Nigeria)
10. Philip Beesley Architect and Living Architecture Systems Group (Toronto, Canada) Philip Beesley
11. Refik Anadol Studio (Los Angeles, USA) Refik Anadol
12. Studio Libertiny (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) Tomas Libertiny
13. Studio Ossidiana (Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Milan, Italy) Giovanni Bellotti; Alessandra Covini
14. The Living (New York, USA) David Benjamin

As New Households (Arsenale)

15. Achim Menges / ICD University of Stuttgart and Jan Knippers / ITKE University of Stuttgart (Stuttgart, Germany) Achim Menges; Jan Knippers
16. Aires Mateus (Lisbon, Portugal) Francisco Aires Mateus; Manuel Aires Mateus
17. AL_A (London, UK) Amanda Levete; Ho-Yin Ng; Alice Dietsch; Maximiliano Arrocet
18. Alison Brooks Architects (London, UK) Alison Brooks
19. Atelier RITA (Paris, France) Valentine Guichardaz-Versini
20. BAAG Buenos Aires Arquitectura Grupal (Buenos Aires, Argentina) Griselda Balian; Gastón Noriega; Gabriel Monteleone
21. ecoLogicStudio (London, UK) Claudia Pasquero; Marco Poletto
22. Farshid Moussavi Architecture (London, UK) Farshid Moussavi
23. Fernanda Canales (Mexico City, Mexico)
24. gad · line+ studio (Hangzhou, China) Fanhao Meng
25. Gramazio Kohler Architects / NCCR DFAB (Zürich, Switzerland) Fabio Gramazio; Matthias Kohler
26. K63.STUDIO (Nairobi, Kenya; Vancouver, Canada) Osborne Macharia
27. leonmarcial arquitectos (Lima, Peru) Alexia Leon; Lucho Marcial
28. Leopold Banchini Architects (Geneva, Switzerland) Leopold Banchini
29. LIN Architects Urbanists (Berlin, Germany; Paris, France) Finn Geipel
30. Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture (Paris, France) Lina Ghotmeh
31. Miralles Tagliabue EMBT (Barcelona, Spain) Benedetta Tagliabue; Elena Nedelcu; Joan Callís
32. nicolas laisné architectes (Montreuil, France) Nicolas Laisné
33. OPAFORM architects (Bergen, Norway) Marina Bauer; Espen Folgerø
34. Open Systems Lab (London, UK) Alastair Parvin
35. ROJO / FERNÁNDEZ-SHAW, arquitectos (Madrid, Spain) Begoña Fernadez-Shaw; Luis Rojo
36. Sahel Alhiyari Architects (Amman, Jordan) Sahel Alhiyari
37. SsD (Seoul, Korea; New York, USA) Jinhee Park
38. THE OPEN WORKSHOP (San Francisco, USA; Toronto, Canada) Neeraj Bhatia; Antje Steinmuller

As Emerging Communities (Arsenale)

39. antonas office (Athens, Greece; Berlin, Germany) Aristide Antonas
40. Arquitectura Expandida (Bogotá, Colombia) Ana López Ortego; Harold Guyaux; Felipe González González; Viviana Parada Camargo
41. atelier masōmī (Niamey, Niger) Mariam Kamara
42. Bouroullec Brothers (Paris, France) Erwan Bouroullec; Ronan Bouroullec
43. Cohabitation Strategies (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) Lucia Babina; Emiliano Gandolfi; Gabriela Rendon; Miguel Robles Duran
44. doxiadis+ (Athens, Greece) Thomas Doxiadis
45. EFFEKT (Copenhagen, Denmark) Sinus Lynge; Tue Foged
46. ELEMENTAL (Santiago, Chile) Alejandro Aravena; Victor Oddó; Gonzalo Arteaga; Diego Torres; Juan Cerda
47. Enlace Arquitectura (Caracas, Venezuela) Elisa Silva
48. Fieldoffice Architects (Yilan, Taiwan) Huang Sheng-Yuan
49. Han Tumertekin (Istanbul, Turkey)
50. Igneous Tectonics (Cambridge, USA) Cristina Parreño; Sergio Araya
51. Lacol (Barcelona, Spain) Ariadna Artigas; Mirko Gegundez; Lali Daví; Pol Massoni; Anna Clemente; Cristina Gamboa; Núria Vila; Jordi Miró; Ernest Garriga; Eliseu Arrufat; Laura Lluch; Lluc Hernandez; Arnau Andrés; Carles Baiges
52. Leong Leong (New York, USA) Dominic Leong; Christopher Leong
53. Manuel Herz Architects and Iwan Baan (Basel, Switzerland; Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Manuel Herz; Iwan Baan
54. NADAAA (Boston, USA) Nader Tehrani; Arthur Chang
55. OMA (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) Reinier de Graaf
56. PRÁCTICA (Madrid, Spain) Jaime Daroca Guerrero; José Mayoral Moratilla; José Ramón Sierra Gómez de León
57. raumlaborberlin (Berlin, Germany) Andrea Hofmann; Axel Timm; Benjamin Foerster-Baldenius; Christof Mayer; Florian Stirnemann; Francesco Apuzzo; Frauke Gerstenberg; Jan Liesegang; Markus Bader
58. S.E.L (Cambridge, USA; Paris, France) Verena Paravel; Lucien Castaing-Taylor
59. Sean Lally (Lausanne, Switzerland; Chicago, USA)
60. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (New York, USA) Colin Koop
61. Storia Na Lugar (Praia, Cabo Verde) Patti Anahory; Cesar Schofield Cardoso
62. studio L A (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Lorien Beijaert; Arna Mačkić
63. Superflux (London, UK) Anab Jain; Jon Ardern
64. TUMO Center for Creative Technologies (Yerevan, Armenia) Marie Lou Papazian; Pegor Papazian
65. UNStudio (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Ben van Berkel; Caroline Bos
66. WOJR (Cambridge, USA) William O'Brien Jr.

Across Borders (Giardini, Central Pavilion)

67. AAU ANASTAS (Bethlehem, Palestine) Elias Anastas; Yousef Anastas
68. ACASA GRINGO CARDIA DESIGN (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) Gringo Cardia with AIKAX, Takumã Kuikuro (Amazonas, MG, Brazil) and People’s Palace Projects, Paul Heritage (London, UK)
69. ASSET Production Studio (Berlin, Germany) Anna-Sophie Springer with Ibu Kota Kolektif (Indonesia); Yayasan Peta Bencana (Indonesia); Nashin Mahtani (Indonesia) and Armin Linke (Italy; Germany)
70. Atelier Marko Brajovic (São Paulo, Brazil) Marko Brajovic; Bruno Bezerra
71. BASE studio (Santiago, Chile) Barbara Barreda; Felipe Sepulveda
72. Dan Majka & Gary Setzer (Madison and Tucson, USA) Dan Majka; Gary Setzer
73. Decolonizing Architecture Art Residency (Beit Sahour, Palestine) Alessandro Petti; Sandi Hilal
74. Dogma (Brussels, Belgium) Martino Tattara; Pier Vittorio Aureli
75. Forensic Oceanography (London, UK) Charles Heller; Lorenzo Pezzani
76. Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory (FAST) (Amsterdam, The Netherlands; New York, USA) Malkit Shoshan
77. GFA (Sydney, Australia) Guillermo Fernández-Abascal; Urtzi Grau
78. Giuditta Vendrame (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
79. Heatherwick Studio (London, UK) Thomas Heatherwick
80. La Minga (Quito, Ecuador) Pablo Escudero
81. Lateral Office and Arctic Design Group (Toronto, Canada; Charlottesville, USA) Mason White; Lola Sheppard; Leena Cho; Matthew Jull
82. Matilde Cassani, Ignacio G. Galan, Ivan L. Munuera, Joel Sanders (Milan, Italy; New York, USA; Princeton, USA; New Haven, USA)
83. Michael Maltzan Architecture (Los Angeles, USA) Michael Maltzan
84. MDP Michel Desvigne Paysagiste (Paris, France) Michel Desvigne
85. Monsoon Assemblages and Office of Experiments (London, UK) Lindsay Bremner; Neal White
86. Olalekan Jeyifous (Brooklyn, USA) and Mpho Matsipa (Johannesburg, South Africa and New York, USA)
87. Paula Nascimento (Luanda, Angola)
88. Pinar Yoldas (San Diego, USA)
89. Rural Urban Framework (Hong Kong, China) Joshua Bolchover; John Lin
90. Smout Allen ( London, UK) Laura Allen; Mark Smout; Geoff Manaugh
91. Somatic Collaborative (New York, USA) Anthony Acciavatti; Felipe Correa; Devin Dobrowolski
92. Studio Paola Viganò (Milan, Italy) Paola Viganò
93. Studio Tomás Saraceno (Berlin, Germany) Tomás Saraceno
94. UNLESS (Hamburg, Germany) Giulia Foscari Widmann Rezzonico
95. Vogt Landscape Architects (Zürich, Switzerland) Günther Vogt

As One Planet (Giardini, Central Pavilion)

96. Bethany Rigby (London, UK)
97. Cave_bureau (Nairobi, Kenya) Karanja Kabage; Stella Mutegi
98. Christina Agapakis, Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg & Sissel Tolaas (Boston, USA; London, UK; Berlin, Germany)
99. DESIGN EARTH (Cambridge and Ann Arbor, USA) Rania Ghosn; El Hadi Jazairy
100. Kei Kaihoh Architects (Tokyo, Japan) Kei Kaihoh
101. Mabe Bethônico (Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Geneva, Switzerland)
102. OOZE and Marjetica Potrč (Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Lubjiana, Slovenia) Eva Pfannes; Sylvain Hartenberg; Marjetica Potrč
103. Plan B Architecture & Urbanism (New Haven, USA) Joyce Hsiang; Bimal Mendis
104. Self-Assembly Lab (Cambridge, USA) Skylar Tibbits; Jared Laucks; Schendy Kernizan
105. spbr arquitetos (Sao Paolo, Brazil) Angelo Bucci
106. TVK (Paris, France) Pierre Alain Trévelo; Antoine Viger-Kohler
107. Urban Theory Lab (UTL) Harvard GSD / Department of Architecture, ETH Zürich (Cambridge, USA; Zürich, Switzerland) Neil Brenner; Christian Schmid
108. Weitzman School of Design (Philadelphia, USA) Richard Weller

How will we play together? (Forte Marghera)

109. AWILDC-AWP london (London, UK; New York, USA) Alessandra Cianchetta
110. HAJEK & SKULL + MOLOARCHITEKTI (Prague, Czech Republic) Matej Hajek; Tereza Kucerova
111. HHF Architects (Basel, Switzerland) Tilo Herlach; Simon Hartmann; Simon Frommenwiler
112. Ifat Finkelman & Deborah Pinto Fdeda (Tel Aviv, Israel)
113. Sean Ahlquist - University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, USA) Sean Ahlquist
114. Wissam Chaaya (Beirut, Lebanon)