La Biennale di Venezia: 13th International Architecture Exhibition.

“The emphasis of the 2012 Biennale is on what we have in common. Above all, the ambition of Common Ground is to reassert the existence of an architectural culture, made up not just of singular talents but a rich continuity of diverse ideas united in a common history, common ambitions, common predicaments and ideals. In architecture everything begins with the ground. It is our physical datum, where we make the first mark, digging the foundations that will support our shelter”. The amazing, David Chipperfield.

The Arsenale and central Pavilion (subtly inspiring), Russian Pavilion (aesthetically futuristic), Belgian Pavilion (intellectually stimulating), French Pavilion (artistically installed), Polish Pavilion (minimally beautiful), Israeli Pavilion (consumeristically criticizing), American Pavilion (cleverly technical), Romanian Pavilion (childishly instructive), Dutch Pavilion (re-setting emptiness), Brasilian Pavilion (incredibly relaxing), Canadian Pavilion (playfully mobile), Spanish Pavilion (naively eco-social), Greek Pavilion (creatively urban), Japanese Pavilion (surprisingly unexciting), Italian Pavilion (boringly un-contemporary), German Pavilion (contemporarily boring)… All with very little in common, except the ground.

INFO: The 13th International Architecture Exhibition, directed by David Chipperfield and titled Common Ground, is open from 29th August to 25th November 2012 in the Giardini and Arsenale venues (10 am to 6 pm, closed on Mondays).

Other exhibitions in Venice: La Voce delle Immagini @ Palazzo Grassi, The Small Utopia Ars Multiplicata @ Fondazione Prada, Carlo Scarpa @ Fondazione Cini, Traces of Centuries & Future Steps @ Palazzo Bembo.

13th International Architecture Exhibition.

By Cosima Bucarelli