Review 2023
The Nile is the source and centre of life, hope and work in Egypt. The exhibition shows the impact of its changes on different landscapes. NiLab focuses on places whose local environment and culture have been lost over the years, and uses the project as an opportunity to rethink them.
The installation addresses issues of decolonisation and decarbonisation and highlights Australia’s colonial legacy. It links the real and imagined city of Queenstown to question the human-environment relationships created by colonialism, with a focus on resource exploitation.
The German Pavilion promotes the sustainable use of resources and calls for care, repair and maintenance. It makes the social work behind the façades visible, linking ecological sustainability with the social question. Instead of exhibits, tools are brought into the city, existing materials are used in the construction and elements from previous Biennales are reused.
The Hemispheric Theatre corresponds to the overarching theme of the Biennale and represents a laboratory that projects identities, places and ideas, making the future tangible. The architecture offers the viewer a spatial, aesthetic and constructive experience that makes architecture tangible and part of social life.
The moon as a symbol of life reflects the longing for holistic rituals. The installation takes up the thesis that such everyday activities, especially for communities in social minorities, are a way of creating new architectural approaches and perceptions of the environment. It is about holding communities together and transforming spaces.
The Nordic Pavilion highlights the architectural importance of indigenous culture. Rapidly changing conditions, such as climate, require collaboration with local building techniques and the use of regional resources, requiring a sensitive approach to landscape and nature.
The installation explores the relationship between people and data, allowing visitors to encounter data in physical form. The exhibition is an appeal to our society’s belief in the infallibility of data, that we even let algorithms design houses and cities. Yet we still need trained designers to create sophisticated and high-quality solutions.
The exhibition surrounds the metal structure of the facade of the Budapest Museum. Accompanied by immersive sound effects, it serves as a representation of cultural memory. The intricate ornamentation interweaves elements of both universal and Hungarian culture, acting as a symbolic embodiment of the Museum’s collections. This artistic space invites dialogue, encourages suggestions and aims to give the Museum of Ethnology a distinctive voice.
What was once the largest production centre in Venice, where military fleets were built, is now the exhibition venue for the Biennale. Some of the relics of the past are presented as museums to maintain the historical reference. The industrial charm of the former military site is echoed in all the productions, reflecting part of Venice’s history.
The exhibitions use the historic setting of the Arsenal as a canvas on which a colourful spectrum of colours unfolds and light effects unfold their magical effect.
The contrast between the rough character of the former military site and the vibrant colour explosions of the installations creates a fascinating dialogue between history and art.
