The 15th edition of the international architecture exhibition ‘la biennale di Venezia‘, run from may 28th to November 27th, 2016. Curated by the Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena, alongside the president of la biennale di Venezia, Paolo Baratta, the chosen theme for this year is ‘reporting from the front’, that is completely in contrast with the rem Koolhaas’ 2014 biennale. Design Gallerist presents Venice Architecture Biennale 2016, the preview of that show.
See more about Fairs & Exhibitions here.
This exhibition as is traditional will also present national participants within their own pavilions at the Giardini, the Arsenale, and across Venice’s historic city center. This edition will also include selected collateral exhibitions, presented by international entities and institutions, which will present their initiatives concurrently with the larger event.
‘Reporting from the front’
His theme, Reporting From The Front, focusses on the biggest social and political issues that architects are negotiating with around the world – including crime, segregation, sanitation, housing shortage, traffic, waste, migration, and pollution. Aravena said that “talent and creativity” are needed to service these issues, not just an ethical approach.
As director of Chilean firm Elemental, Aravena has committed much of his career to tackling the housing crisis, by engaging local communities in a radical reinvention of social housing models. Socially minded architecture is a choice, not a responsibility he says.
His own projects, as part of Elemental, include a series of buildings for the Universidad Católica de Chile and a model for low-cost housing based on the principle of initially providing “half a good home”. Alejandro Aravena will this year be awarded the Pritzker Prize, architecture’s equivalent of the Nobel, for his contribution to the industry.
About ‘Reporting from the front’, Alejandro Aravena explains the theme:
‘There are several battles that need to be won and several frontiers that need to be expanded in order to improve the quality of the built environment and consequently people’s quality of life. More and more people in the planet are in search for a decent place to live and the conditions to achieve it are becoming tougher and tougher by the hour. Any attempt to go beyond business as usual encounters huge resistance in the inertia of reality and any effort to tackle relevant issues has to overcome the increasing complexity of the world.’
‘Reporting from the front’ will be about bringing to a broader audience, what is it like to improve the quality of life while working on the margins, under tough circumstances, facing pressing challenges. or what does it take to be on the cutting edge trying to conquer new fields.
Speaking at a Biennale press conference in London, the Chilean architect said he was looking for quality rather than youth in his selection. “Sometimes old people with a lot of experience are still the ones that come up with the freshest ideas, and sometimes young people are extremely mature and able to use their energy and their passion,” he added.
Tadao Ando, Peter Zumthor, David Chipperfield and SANAA are among the star-studded list of contributors announced.
Australian Pavilion
See also the new angular pavilion at Latvia.
Switzerland Pavilion
The 15th edition of the biennial exhibition includes dozens of celebrated architects, including Herzog & de Meuron, Eduardo Souto de Moura, Norman Foster and Renzo Piano.Rem Koolhaas, Richard Rogers, Shigeru Ban, Kengo Kuma and Wang Shu will also be contributing, along with younger officers including Turner Prize-winner Assemble and Chilean studio Pezo von Ellrichshausen.
DESIGN GALLERIST will continue to give you fantastic news on the art and design world. We like, as much as you, to read all about the newest design ideas, the latest project, the best designers and so on.
Don’t forget to subscribe this blog and to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.