La Biennale di Venezia

18th International Architecture Exhibition: The Laboratory of the Future

Venice, May 18, 2023 - The 18th International Architecture Exhibition titled "The Laboratory of the Future," curated by Lesley Lokko and organized by the Biennale di Venezia, will be open to the public from Saturday, May 20 to Sunday, November 26, 2023, at the Giardini, Arsenale, and Forte Marghera. The preview days will take place on May 18 and 19, and the award ceremony and inauguration will be held on Saturday, May 20, 2023.

THE BIENNALE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION

The Biennale di Venezia is actively engaged in the crucial goal of climate change mitigation, promoting a more sustainable model for the design, construction, and execution of all its activities. In 2022, it achieved carbon neutrality certification for all its events throughout the year by collecting accurate data on the CO2 emissions caused by the events themselves and implementing corresponding measures. The entire process of achieving carbon neutrality, according to the international standard PAS2060, has been certified by RINA.

For all the events, the most significant component of the overall carbon footprint is related to visitor mobility. In this regard, the Biennale will also focus on raising awareness and communicating with the public in 2023, starting with the 18th International Architecture Exhibition. It will be the first major exhibition in this discipline to experiment with a pathway to carbon neutrality on-site, reflecting on the themes of decolonization and decarbonization. –

THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION AS AN AGENT OF CHANGE

"What does it mean to be an 'agent of change'? (...) In the past nine months, in hundreds of conversations, text messages, video calls, and meetings - Lesley Lokko recalled - the question arose repeatedly whether exhibitions of this magnitude, both in terms of carbon emissions and costs, can be justified. Last May (when the title was announced), I spoke several times about the exhibition as a 'story,' a narrative that unfolds in space. Today, I have a different vision. An architecture exhibition is both a moment and a process. It borrows structure and format from art exhibitions but distinguishes itself by critical aspects that often go unnoticed. In addition to the desire to tell a story, the issues related to production, resources, and representation are central to how an architecture exhibition comes into being, yet they are seldom acknowledged and discussed. It was clear from the beginning that 'The Laboratory of the Future' would adopt the concept of 'change' as its essential gesture."

"(...) For the first time, the spotlight is on Africa and its diaspora, on that fluid and intertwined culture of people of African origin that now embraces the world. What do we want to say? How will what we say change something? And perhaps most importantly, how will what we say influence and involve what the 'others' say, making the exhibition not just a single story but a collection of narratives capable of reflecting the fascinating, splendid kaleidoscope of ideas, contexts, aspirations, and meanings that each voice expresses in response to the problems of their time?"

"Culture is often defined as the complex of stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. While this is true, what escapes this statement is an .