Curatorial Competition for the Estonian exposition at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023 is open

Estonian Centre for Architecture (ECA) has launched an international competition to find the best idea and curator for the Estonian exposition at the XVIII Venice Architecture Biennale in 2023.

The aim of the competition is to find the best concept that will raise the visibility of our architects and their work in the world. The competition is open for concept proposals by art theorists, architects, designers, interior architects, artists and curators of other professions related to the field of architecture. In addition to local architects also international curators and professionals – both theoreticians and practising architects – are invited to participate in the competition.

According to Veronika Valk-Siska, a member of the competition jury and adviser of architecture and design at the Estonian Ministry of Culture, the Venice Architecture Biennale, alongside the Tallinn Architecture Biennale, is the most important international architectural event for Estonia. “Participation in the Venice Biennale offers Estonia and our architects an unique opportunity to introduce Estonian architecture and the spatial challenges that are important to Estonia. It is a major event that brings together the most pressing issues in the world of architecture. Estonia has participated in the Venice Architecture Biennale since 2000 with a very diverse range of exhibits. The courage to experiment, the forward-looking view, the insightfulness and creativity are welcome here more than anywhere else,” says Valk-Siska.

The deadline for the first phase of the two-stage competition is May 3rd at 23.59 (GMT+2). In the second round, the jury will select up to five candidates or teams, who will have the opportunity to develop their ideas further. he public presentation of shortlisted proposals will take place in Tallinn in the first half of June. The winner will be announced in June 2022.

First-round entries must include the idea and design concept for the Estonian exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale and a description of the project team. In the second round, the description of the exhibition must be further developed according to the comments and questions raised by the jury, and submitted together with illustrated images of the exhibition space, principles for the production of a catalogue and other information materials, and a detailed budget. For each work submitted in the second phase, ECA will award a prize of €1000.

The conditions of the competition are available on the ECA website https://estonianarchitecture.com/activity/venice-architecture-biennale/, where you can also find the presentations of the previous exhibitions that represented Estonia in Venice.

The competition entries will be evaluated by a jury consisting of Estonian Exhibition Commissioner and Director of the ECA Raul Järg, architect Raul Kalvo, co-curator of the 2021 Estonian Exhibition Jiri Tintera, adviser of architecture and design at the Estonian Ministry of Culture Veronika Valk-Siska, Director of the Estonian Architecture Museum Triin Ojari, art historian and curator Maria Arusoo and architectural researcher Andres Kurg.

The Venice Architecture Biennale is the oldest and largest international architectural event. The XVIII Venice Architecture Biennale will be curated by Lesley Lokko, the main theme is yet to be announced. Estonia has participated in the Biennale since 2000, with a total of ten editions so far. The last time, in 2021, Estonia was represented in Venice by the exhibition “Square! Positively shrinking”, which explored how to improve the quality of life in shrinking cities.

The producer of the Estonian exhibition at the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale and the organiser of the international curatorial competition is the Estonian Centre for Architecture, co-organised by the Estonian Association of Architects, with the Estonian Ministry of Culture and the Estonian Cultural Endowment as partners.

The mission of the Centre is to promote contemporary Estonian architecture and urbanism, to raise awareness of architecture and to develop Estonia’s architectural export. In addition to producing the Estonian exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale, ECA organises the Tallinn Architecture Biennale (TAB), hosts architectural tours and carries out a number of other special architectural projects.

Questions and further information:
Raul Järg
Commissioner for the Estonian Exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale
veneetsia@arhitektuurikeskus.ee