venice architecture biennale 2021 plans to open to the public in may, but how?

la biennale di venezia has reaffirmed plans to open the 2021 venice architecture biennale to the public on may 22, 2021. the event, which was originally scheduled for 2020, was postponed because of the pandemic. titled ‘how will we live together?’, the 17th international architecture exhibition has been curated by architect and educator hashim sarkis. ‘attendance to the exhibition, for both visitors and employees, will be regulated according to precise emergency and safety rules,’ said roberto cicutto, president of la biennale di venezia, speaking at a presentation of the upcoming event. ‘this year we have, for those who are setting up the different festivals, the necessary safety and security measures.’

studio ossidiana, variation on a bird cage, 2019-20 | image courtesy of studio ossidiana
main image: SOM, ‘moon village earth rise,’ life beyond earth, 2020. image by slashcube, courtesy of SOM

with the intention of opening to the public in may, la biennale has outlined the health and safety measures that will be in place. this will include temperature checks for all those entering the premises, hand sanitation points, and compulsory face coverings in all indoor and outdoor spaces. social distancing will also be enforced, while separate entrances and exits hope to create a one-way exhibition route to minimize the gathering of visitors. tickets will only be able to be purchased online, with a limited number of visitors able to attend at any one time.

 gad · line+ studio, dongziguan affordable housing, 2016 | image © yao li

in recent days, some of the national pavilions have announced plans for online openings. the swiss arts council pro helvetia, commissioners of the swiss pavilion, said that its exhibition ‘oræ – experiences on the border’ will open ‘silently’ during the press preview on may, 20. ‘no public vernissage will take place, but there will be a digital press moment,’ reads a facebook post. meanwhile, the dutch pavilion is planning a virtual opening for its exhibition on the same day.

atelier RITA, emergency shelter for refugees and roma community, 2017 | image courtesy of david boureau

the exhibition includes 112 participants from 46 countries, with a growing delegation from africa, latin america, and asia. the exhibition is organized into five scales: among diverse beings, as new households, as emerging communities, across borders, as one planet. a further part of the exhibition is titled ‘how will we play together?’, a contribution by five international participating architects who have designed a project dedicated to children’s play.

arquitectura expandida, la casa de la lluvia [de ideas] /the house of the rain [of ideas], a cultural and environmental community space, la cecilia neighborhood, san cristóbal district, bogotá D.C. self-building process. 2012-ongoing | image courtesy of arcquitectura expandida

this edition also includes ‘stations + co-habitats’, research into the five scales with relative case studies developed by universities around the world, as well as a special participation by the israeli artist michal rovner. another special project will be presented by studio other spaces (represented by olafur eliasson and sebastian behmann), while artist giuseppe penone will create an installation at the arsenale. finally, la biennale di venezia and london’s victoria and albert museum will again come together to present a new project titled ‘three british mosques’.

leong leong, anita may rosenstein campus, 2019 | image © iwan baan

‘the current global pandemic has no doubt made the question that this biennale architettura is asking all the more relevant and timely, even if somehow ironic, given the imposed isolation,’ says hashim sarkis. ‘it may indeed be a coincidence that the theme was proposed a few months before the pandemic. however, many of the reasons that initially led us to ask this question — the intensifying climate crisis, massive population displacements, political instabilities around the world, and growing racial, social, and economic inequalities, among others — have led us to this pandemic and have become all the more relevant.’

TUMO center for creative technologies, TUMO paris, 2018 | image © forum des images

‘we can no longer wait for politicians to propose a path towards a better future,’ sarkis continues. ‘as politics continue to divide and isolate, we can offer alternative ways of living together through architecture. the biennale architettura 2021 is motivated by new kinds of problems that the world is putting in front of architecture, but it is also inspired by the emerging activism of young architects and the radical revisions being proposed by the profession of architecture to take on these challenges.’

olalekan jeyifous and mpho matsipa, liquid geographies, liquid borders, 2020 | image courtesy of olalekan jeyifous

speaking during the event’s presentation, sarkis also outlined the biennale’s expanded program, which includes the broadcasting of the event’s installation process. ‘we strongly believe that the act of building, building the installations as well as building in architecture, is important to describe and to share,’ says the curator. ‘the installation process, which has always been hidden from the public and the media, deserves to be carefully presented and studied. much of the thinking and development happens during this period, and we are very happy to share it with the public. I hope that it will become a regular feature of the biennales of the future.’

the central pavilion at the giardini | image by francesco galli, courtesy of la biennale di venezia

in 2021, the international architecture exhibition will intersect with the 15th international festival of contemporary dance from july 23 to august 1. under the mentorship of artistic director wayne mcgregor, short choreographic fragments inspired by the signs, materials, and themes of the architecture exhibition will be created. meanwhile, the program will be complemented by ‘meetings on architecture’ — encounters with architects, scholars and professionals from around the world. elsewhere, organized in various venues across the city of venice, a total of 17 collateral events have been approved by the curator, promoted by national and international non-profit entities and institutions.