Pavilion of Switzerland. Image © Matteo de Mayda/ Courtesy of 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, The laboratory of the Future
Successfully challenging the audience to think in a different and more empathetic way, Lesley Lokko’s biennale is an authentic portrayal of a highly intricate subject. Inaugurated on May 20, the 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, titled The Laboratory of the Future, has already sparked worldwide discussions.
Taking a broader perspective on architecture, the exhibition shifts its focus towards the discipline rather than just the profession. It’s not “about building buildings per se”, explains the curator to ArchDaily. Instead, it seeks to question our conventional understanding of architecture, and with that, architectural exhibitions. The 2023 Biennale is a laboratory in every sense of the word, a global platform of experimentation, and a space to explore new ideas in the absence of spaces that allow us to do so. “It borrows its structure and format from art exhibitions, but it differs from art in critical ways which often go unnoticed”, states Lesley Lokko in her initial statement.