At the beginning of May, we had the pleasure of participating in one of the most important architectural events in the world – the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale. This year’s edition is held under the slogan: “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Common”, it poses ambitious questions to architects, engineers, artists and scientists about the role of intelligence – both technological and human – in shaping the future of our cities and spaces.
The curator of the exhibition, Carlo Ratti, emphasizes that the title refers not only to the contemporary concept of intelligence, but also to “gens” – people – indicating that the future of intelligence should be common, diverse and full of imagination. This year’s Biennale gathered over 750 participants from all over the world, and the exhibition itself, according to many, is one of the largest in history.
The exhibition is spread over three main locations: the pavilions in Gardini, the Arsenale and selected places in the centre of Venice. The event presents not only architectural projects, but also ideas from the borders of art, science, engineering, biology and social sciences, showing architecture in a broad, multidimensional context.
During our stay in Venice, we could not miss a visit to the Polish Pavilion entitled “Lares and Penates. On Building a Sense of Security in Architecture”. The exhibition addresses extremely current issues related to the threats of modern times: from climate disasters, through armed conflicts, to forced labor. The exhibition prepared by an interdisciplinary team showed how both technical and symbolic elements of architecture can support people in building a sense of security. The exhibition was prepared by a team consisting of Aleksandra Kędziorek, Krzysztof Maniak, Katarzyna Przezwańska and Maciej Siuda.
On May 8, at the historic Palazzo Contarini Polignac, we had the opportunity to see the exhibition “No Doubt About It,” curated by the American architecture critic Vladimir Belogolovsky. The exhibition featured six exceptional projects – three theaters, two museums, and a residential building – located in Armenia, China, Georgia, Germany, Latvia, and Poland. Among the selected projects was also a project by Robert Konieczny’s KWK Promes studio.
The Biennale will last until November 23, 2025. We encourage all enthusiasts of architecture, art and science to visit Venice and immerse themselves in this extraordinary, reflective space. This is an experience that inspires the search for new answers to the challenges of the modern world – exactly as we want to do at Horizone Studio.
We encourage you to visit!
