2020 Venice Architecture Biennale Postponed until 2021
The opening of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia has been postponed until 22 May 2021. This difficult but commendable decision was made by the Biennale foundation because of the Covid-19 pandemic and its implications for the production, construction, and opening of the exhibition. The Biennale will run until 21 November 2021.
20 May 2020
Who is We?
Het Nieuwe Instituut, commissioner of the Dutch pavilion, will present Who is We? to question the dominant structures and histories we inhabit and inherit, presenting an urbanism that is Other - female, of colour, queer, and multispecies.
Het Nieuwe Instituut fuels the discussion on Biennale curator Hashim Sarkis' call for a 'new spatial contract' addressing how we will live together. Such a contract would require specific tools and insights for emancipating communities and regenerating ecosystems that have been marginalised by the dominant architecture canon. This canon still forms the basis of our buildings and cities, yet it is clearly inadequate for supporting a multiplicity of lifeworlds for humans and non-humans. Who is We? presents a counter-language based on Other knowledge development and pedagogies that make visible what is unseen, propagating inclusivity on all levels. This departs from the research and practice of architect Afaina de Jong and artist Debra Solomon. In the online dossier, more background information can be found about these themes.
Values for Survival
Who is We? is contextualised by the parallel public research programme Values for Survival, curated by Caroline Nevejan, Chief Science Officer for the City of Amsterdam. Due to the pandemic, this programme will be presented online in a series of conversations and cahiers as well as an Exploratorium. Cahier 1 has now been published and can be downloaded.
Open Call
Het Nieuwe Instituut and the Creative Industries Fund NL issued an Open Call for the parallel programme, and the selected design teams are Failed Architecture, Bureau LADA, and Studio Wild.
Thursday Night Live Online!
This Thursday 21 May, is the livestream of Thursday Night Live Online! - _Who is We? _Starting at 19:30, several guests including Afaina de Jong, Debra Solomon, and Caroline Nevejan will elaborate on their contributions to Who is We? The event will be streamed at live.hetnieuweinstituut.nl.
Note for editors
For more information or images please contact Eveline Mulckhuyse or Christiane Bosman at:
e.mulckhuyse@hetnieuweinstituut.nl and c.bosman@hetnieuweinstituut.nl.