The Biennale Architettura 2023: Venice's 18th International Architecture Exhibit
A Dive into The Laboratory of the Future
It takes a great visionary to anticipate the movement of a growing art form and utilize a space where that foresight can manifest in real-time. The given platform to those whose voices have often been pushed aside regarding their perspective and approach to a medium is the focus as we move through the broadening life of art. The curator of this nest of appreciation and admiration is Ghanaian-Scottish Architect Lesley Lokko, and with the combined objectives of La Biennale Di Venezia president Roberto Cicutto, they have presented from May 20th to November 26th, 2023, the 18th Biennale Architettura of Venice.
This grand display of architectural design is placed in a focused setting orchestrated to highlight the innovation of over 89 participants with over half being of pan-African backgrounds. The input of all these creative minds fuels the natural roots of creativity and urbanism that come with
it, especially with the focus being on Africa. Embedded in Lokkos’ vision is the push for the vast exploration of climate-friendly construction, hence the theme Laboratory of the Future. This mass combining of great artistic minds is a workshop of influence and education. The ability to take on other perspectives and routes of construction that will overall benefit all who participate is made possible by the many collaborators for this year’s event such as David Adjaye, Francis Kéré, Cave_bureau Marina Otero, Nana Biamah-Ofosu and many others. The intention behind this event is the reason many should be looking in, collaborating with the Biennale College Architettura showcases that Lokko and Cicutto hope for this year's exhibition to be one that ignites a fire within the future architects of the momentous world.
While there continue to be conversations about art and its relationship with the climate crisis, one thing is for sure is that it sparks up new ways of thinking and reinvention and what that can look like for a refreshed world. That is why exhibitions such as the Biennale Architettura are so important to the inclusivity and longevity within the culture and the marriage between us and what surrounds us.
Mermaid Bay (2023). The Danish pavilion courtesy of Josephine Michau and Schønherr. Courtesy of Biennale Architettura of Venice
Captured in the construction of Mermaid Bay by Josephine Michau, the fragile realities of sea level rise is made clear. The visualization of a likely reality that isn’t fiction but made as a
representation of continued neglect. That is the route of purposeful environmental architecture. Beauty is being manipulated to display the reflection of our world and installed in time for a moment to motivate viewers and students to stop and notice. Architecture is more than just the building we reside in and pass by. It is the moment when human design meets the natural world. It is the defining and visualizing of a country or culture. It is supposed to complement mother nature's accent in different regions. That is why this year's
focus being the future of the profession holds a great deal in the grand scheme of evolution. That is why many artists are taking the moment to materialize the possibilities of our global decisions.
Lesley Lokka and Roberto Cicutto (2023). Courtesy of La Biennale Di Venezia
@labiennale.org
If interested in discovering more and even taking a look into the mass artistic appreciation and skill behind the umbrella that makes up Architettura, please access:
Tickets and more are still being sold for this event and it’s never too late to take in another piece of this art world.
Sources:
Labiennale.org
Dezeen.com
Wallpaper.com