On June 26 at the headquarters of the Cracow branch of SARP and on September 16 at the ZODIAK Warsaw Architecture Pavilion, meetings organized by A&B took place around this year's Venice Architecture Biennale with the participation of the creators of the exhibition in the Polish Pavilion - Aleksandra Kędziorek, Krzysztof Maniak, Katarzyna Przezwańska and Maciej Siuda, Michał Kubiak from Zachęta - National Gallery of Art and invited guests: in Krakow with Marcin Kościuch, an architect from the Poznan studio Ultra Architects, and in Warsaw with Bartłomiej Kisielewski, an architect from the Krakow's Horizone Studio, Kacper Kępiński, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning, and a member of the competition committee, which decided that it was the exhibition "Lars and Penates. On building a sense of security in architecture" will fill the Polonia Pavilion this year, and Aleksandra Gryc of the Ferwor studio, producer of the exhibition. Both meetings were moderated by Małgorzata Tomczak, editor-in-chief of A&B.
A&B partners at the Biennale
The 19th Venice International Architecture Biennale, curated by Italian architect Carlo Ratti, is held under the theme "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.", which seeks to draw attention to the fact that in the face of contemporary challenges, architecture should draw on all forms of intelligence. Ratti emphasized the word gens, or "people," in the title, and it was on them that the creators of the exhibition at the Polish Pavilion focused.
We dedicated the September issue of A&B to the event: Venice Architecture Biennale 2025
Michal Kubiak, responsible for the Polish Pavilion in Venice, talked about the behind-the-scenes selection of the exhibition in the two-stage competition organized by Zachêta - National Gallery of Art. In turn, the interdisciplinary team revealed how the theme of the exhibition matured in them, the beginning of which was... a conversation in a tram by Maciej Siuda and Aleksandra Kędziorek. Although at the time their idea was slightly different, together they began a search focused on shifting the narrative of architecture, broadening the perspective and directing attention to the user.
Participants in the meeting Around the Biennial - from left: Malgorzata Tomczak, Bartlomiej Kisielewski, Kacper Kepinski, Aleksandra Kedzorek, Aleksandra Gryc, Krzysztof Maniak, Katarzyna Przezwańska and Maciej Siuda
photo: Wiola Januszko | ZODIAK Warsaw Architecture Pavilion
They knew that they didn't want to create grand architectural gestures meant to save the world in theory, ready-made solutions according to Ratti's proposed idea of "one place, one solution," but to propose a view of architecture in which its creators can learn from other disciplines a more sensitive approach to space and what provides its users with a sense of security in anxious times of polycrisis.
Aleksandra Gryc, Krzysztof Maniak; participants and attendees of the Around the Biennial meeting
photo: Wiola Januszko; Natalia Cichoń | ZODIAK Warsaw Architecture Pavilion
During the meeting, the creators told how the process of building the exhibition looked like from the backstage - they transported its mock-up in 1:1 scale in several suitcases to Venice, in order to search together, in a performative way, for design solutions tailored to the space of the pavilion. Before the exhibition opened, they tested the solutions they came up with - like user experience designers, they tested on trusted people the paths they chose inside the pavilion in order to get the best possible arrangement of the various elements for visitors. They also deliberately did not want to overload the exhibition with text, and made sure that the content was comprehensible to Biennale participants.
participants and attendees of the meeting Around the Biennale
photo: Natalia Cichoń | ZODIAK Warsaw Architecture Pavilion
What is the exhibition "Lars and Penates" about? About building a sense of security in architecture - the creators combined traditional practices with technical solutions. These two orders - safety and a sense of security - made it possible to direct the spotlight on various fears that have accompanied people for centuries. Thus, we can find here, among other things, the panicle, which is still hung on office buildings erected in urban centers, the horseshoe, which many place over the door as a symbol of providence and good luck, the threshold marking the boundary for evil spirits or other dangers, but also elements that comply with modern fire and safety regulations - the creators of the exhibition referred to them with a wink: since we must have a fire extinguisher in the room, let's put it in a richly decorated niche; if an emergency exit sign is necessary, let's display it; we are watched by ubiquitous surveillance cameras, let them see us resting on a soft seat.
The exhibition is a spatial installation, but it is also divided into thematic groups - we will find, among other things, a theme of surveillance related to the camera eye - something placed on the building to provide us with protection is sometimes politically abused, as well as a theme related to war conflicts represented by the shelter door.
participants and attendees of the Around the Biennial meeting
photo: Wiola Januszko | ZODIAK Warsaw Architecture Pavilion
The creators of the exhibition show that architecture does not end with the skeleton, what is important is how we fill this structure, they talk about the emotions associated with it and the multifaceted reality in which architects design. Thus encouraging a sensitive look at the human being, seeing that the user for whom we create designs has different needs, accommodates many anxieties, often those outside the rational world. So it is worth leaning into the practice of the architectural profession, looking for a different kind of sensitivity and creating spaces of psychological comfort.
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You can read more about this year's Venice Biennale in the articles:
Hope for a better tomorrow, or a slight cringe? The main exhibition at the Arsenale through the eyes of experts
A house for the price of a car, or maybe wood from a 3D printer? The ideas laboratory at the Arsenal
What surprises the pavilions in Venice's Giardini?
No is more... Inspirations straight from the Giardini
Golden Lions 2025 awarded!
The art of cooling: award for Bahrain's pavilion for fighting the heat
Robert Konieczny and Vladimir Belogolovsky at the Venice Architecture Biennale!
The project of a Polish architect in the main exhibition of the Venice Architecture Biennale!
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A&B Main Partner at the Biennale:
A&B partners at the Biennale:
