Argentina at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2016

Starting on May 28, Argentina will participate in the 15th Venice Biennale of Architecture, one of the most prominent events on the international cultural calendar, which opens its doors for six months to exhibit the most important cultural and urban expressions from around the world.      

On this occasion, the 450 square-metre Argentine Pavilion will present “ExperimentAR. Poéticas desde la frontera” (Experience. Boundary poetics), a project by curator and renowned architect Atilio Pentimalli, in which he proposes to approach architecture based on the exploration of everyday things and social realities.

According to Mauricio Wainrot, General Director for Cultural Affairs of the Argentine Foreign Ministry, the installation “is a piece of work which reflects the daily battle to overcome the lack of resources, the constant economic fluctuation of our country and the demands of the market, in order to achieve a specific type of architecture, a situation with potential for change that will be open to new horizons, social realities and perspectives.”

Venice’s mega exhibition is the world’s most important architecture event. This new edition will include 88 participants from 37 different countries, who have been especially invited for the occasion. “This is a world celebration. Without doubt, the bonds that link all the countries that are represented in their respective pavilions are connected here through works designed during several months by architects and work teams”, added Wainrot. 

In this regard, Pentimalli, author and curator of the Argentine installation, further commented on the intention underlying the work: “We propose taking Argentine works to Venice that have succeeded in going beyond standards through experimentation with and exploration of everyday things. Works that have added value to low-budget projects, which perhaps had limited initial aspirations. Works that have won the daily battle against rules, lack of economic resources, the changing conditions of the country, and the pace and demands of the market through Argentine intelligence, intuition, work and talent in order to achieve a unique type of architecture, born out of our deepest thoughts and of our land, that will open new horizons.”

For his part, the Argentine Ambassador to Italy, Tomás Ferrari, shared his thoughts about the work that the Argentine Foreign Ministry is sending to the Venice exhibition: “Argentina’s participation is a demonstration of the importance that our country attaches to the promotion and diffusion of culture. On the one hand, it follows the tradition of almost constant national participation in the various editions of the biennales of art and architecture. On the other, it is one of Argentina’s most important direct public investments in the cultural field abroad.”

Press release No. 151/16

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