17th Venice Architecture Biennale explained

Genre:	Architecture exhibition
Prev:	16th Venice Architecture Biennale (2018)
Begins:	May 22, 2021
Ends:	November 21, 2021
Location:	Venice
Country:	Italy

The 17th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Architecture Biennale, is an upcoming international architecture exhibition. The Biennale takes place biennially in Venice, Italy. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibition will take place in 2021 instead of 2020.^[1]

Background

The 17th Exhibition will run between May 22 and November 21, 2021,^[2] with two pre-opening days. In light of several festival postponements in northern Italy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there had been speculation about delaying the exhibition, and while it was originally announced as opening in May,^[3] amid increased international precautions over the following weeks, the exhibition's opening was initially postponed to August, halving the exhibition's run, before being rescheduled to the following year

Central exhibition

Curated by Hashim Sarkis, the exhibition's theme is "How will we live together?" From 46 participating countries, 114 participants will present work at the Giardini's Central Pavilion, the Arsenale, Forte Marghera, and the external spaces around those areas.^[4] National participants were asked to focus on "the need for more inclusive social housing and urban connectivity."^[5]

National pavilions

The exhibition will include 63 national pavilions in the Giardini and across the city.

The 17th exhibition marked the first participation from Grenada, Iraq, and Uzbekistan.

Iraq

The first-ever participation by Iraq was an exhibition called Ark re-imagined: The expeditionary pavilion by Rashad Salim, curated by Safina Projects, produced by Community Jameel and Culturunners, and commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities.^[6] The pavilion was hosted by TBA21–Academy at the Ocean Space in the church of San Lorenzo.^[7]

The pavilion examined the role of traditional Marsh Arab watercraft from the Mesopotamian Marshes in southern Iraq, their relationship to gondolas and the Venetian lagoon, and human responses to climate change.^{[8] [9]} The pavilion was selected by The Art Newspaper, Architectural Digest and ArchDaily in their reviews of pavilions to-see, and received extensiove coverage in Arab media, including Arab News, The National and Gulf Today.^{[10] [11] [12] [13] [14]}

Awards

The exhibition's awards will be presented at its inauguration.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Biennale Architettura 2021 . . 2020 . en-US . 13 July 2020 . mdy-all .
2. Web site: 17th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia . 2020 . en-US . 13 July 2020 . mdy-all .
3. Web site: Ravenscroft . Tom . Venice Architecture Biennale to go ahead despite coronavirus outbreak . Dezeen . 2020-02-27 . en . 2020-02-29 . mdy-all .
4. Web site: Harrouk . Christele . La Biennale di Venezia Reveals Participants of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition . ArchDaily . 2020-02-28 . en-US . 2020-02-29 . mdy-all .
5. Web site: Venice Architecture Biennale Announces Theme of 2020 Edition . . 2019-07-17 . en-US . 2020-02-29 . mdy-all .
6. Web site: 2020-03-23 . Biennale Architettura 2021 Iraq . 2024-01-23 . La Biennale di Venezia . en.
7. Web site: 2021-09-01 . A collaborative platform for Ocean Imagination and Ocean Action . 2024-01-23 . Ocean Space . en.
8. Web site: Tantucci . Enrico . 2021-06-01 . Kenyan caves and ancient Mesopotamian boats: Venice Architecture Biennale proposes solutions to impending global housing crisis . 2024-01-23 . The Art Newspaper.
9. Web site: Extra: ‘The Ark Re-imagined: The Expeditionary Pavilion’, Monocle on Design - Radio . 2024-01-23 . Monocle . en.
10. Web site: Sayej . Nadja . 2021-06-01 . The Venice Architecture Biennale Kicks Off—And This Exhibition Will Steal the Show . 2024-01-23 . Architectural Digest . en-US.
11. Web site: Yusuf . Muhammad . 2021-05-31 . The Ark sails from the marshes of Iraq to the canals of Venice . 2024-01-23 . Gulf Today.
12. Web site: Ackerman . Iain . 2021-05-21 . ‘Ark Re-imagined’ — reviving the cultural heritage and lost knowledge of the Marsh Arabs . 2024-01-23 . . en.
13. Web site: Stouhi . Dima . 2021-06-14 . Cyprus, Greece, Iraq, San Marino, and North Macedonia: 5 Unexplored National Pavilions at the 2021 Venice Biennale . 2024-01-23 . ArchDaily . en-US.
14. Web site: Brunton . John . 2021-05-27 . Venice Biennale of Architecture: A closer look at the Arab pavilions, from UAE to Palestine . 2024-01-23 . The National . en.