2025

19th Architecture Biennale in Venice

Vice Chancellor and Cultural and Housing Minister Andreas Babler opened the Austrian Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale on 9 May

This year’s contribution “Agency for a Better Living” was developed by the curators Sabine Pollak, Michael Obrist and Lorenzo Romito. Their project puts the focus on burning global housing issues that are to be addressed in a synthesis of top-down approaches (successful model of social housing in Vienna) and bottom-up methods (self-organization models of civil society) on the basis of concrete architectures and explorations of the individual systems.

During the opening ceremony, Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler stated:
“The Venice Architecture Biennale ranks among the most renowned architecture exhibitions worldwide and is one of the most important platforms for the international discourse on architecture as well as the presentation of themes relevant for building culture. Therefore, I am delighted that the contribution of the curators Sabine Pollak, Michael Obrist and Lorenzo Romito was selected for the Austrian Pavilion at the 19th edition of the Biennale.

Under the motto “Agency for a Better Living”, they put the spotlight on socially balanced, affordable housing. The presentation focuses on two different and, indeed, antithetical approaches to housing: Vienna’s social housing system with its history of more than 100 years and informal housing construction in Rome. The comparison of these two models – planned, public residential architecture in Vienna and improvised, often spontaneous architecture in Rome – stimulates interdisciplinary dialogue, which can provide interesting impulses for future-oriented, climate-friendly and socially equitable housing construction beyond the Austrian and Italian context. I think that the Architecture Biennale is the ideal framework for discussing these issues in an international context. It invites us to reflect on the diversity of housing models used in different countries and cultures and to explore how architecture can contribute to designing fair, liveable and sustainable cities.

Architecture can and must contribute to making cities places of social equity where not only a privileged minority but rather all people have access to decent, affordable and high-quality housing. Hence, I thank the curators for their invaluable contribution and their strong commitment and wish them great success as well as an inspiring experience and intensive discussions to all visitors and participants."

In addition to seeing the exhibition, visitors, activists and experts may also actively participate in the public events organized in the courtyard of the Pavilion. The program offers presentations, lectures and workshops on various subjects.

More information at:

www.labiennale2025.at

www.bmwkms.gv.at/kunst-und-kultur/sparten/bildende-kunst-design-mode-fotografie-medienkunst/biennale-venedig/architektur-biennale-2025.html

www.tuwien.at/tu-wien/aktuelles/news/die-agency-for-better-living-ist-oesterreichs-beitrag-zur-architekturbiennale-2025

Biennale Architettura 2025

Intelligens
Natural. Artificial. Collective.

Exhibition: 10 May - 23 November 2025

Curator: Carlo Ratti

www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/2025

61st Venice Art Biennale in 2026 – Florentina Holzinger to create show at Austrian Pavilion

At the 61st Venice Art Biennale taking place in 2026, the show at the Austrian Pavilion will be designed by the internationally renowned Austrian ...

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At the 61st Venice Art Biennale taking place in 2026, the show at the Austrian Pavilion will be designed by the internationally renowned Austrian performance artist Florentina Holzinger.

Under the working title “Seaworld Venice”, Holzinger will co-operate with the performance curator Nora-Swantje Almes as well as a team of performers, musicians, stunt co-ordinators and producers.

For the Austrian Pavilion, she continues and expands her research into the element of water – for the first time, this is implemented in an exhibition concept. As usual, Florentina Holzinger puts the focus on a feminist approach to the motifs: She explores various modes of female representation and the potential of female physicality by continuously working on their expansion and the discovery of new possibilities. In the context of Venice, new approaches open up for this long-standing research. Water creatures from mythological and classic tales constitute starting points for immersing into a possible future of Venice.

The jury stated the following reasons for their decision:

Florentina Holzinger convinced the jury with her innovative proposal for the Austrian Pavilion 2026 that combines – in line with her interdisciplinary approach – elements of dance, theater and performance art. The current relevance of the questions she raises ranging from how water is managed as a resource to existential bodily experiences and the societal norms defined for them impressed the jury along with the planned implementation in diverse formats: Both the installation in the Pavilion and the etudes in the lagoon allow the visitors to take part personally at different levels.

Thus, the artist creates a variable esthetic space for experiences that enriches the exhibition context with dramaturgical elements of theater and generates powerful images. Moreover, based on her sometimes provocative and socio-critical approach to the human body, Florentina Holzinger forms part of a line of Austrian art history (Viennese Actionism, feminist body art).

Further information:

www.bmwkms.gv.at/kunst-und-kultur/Neuigkeiten/biennale2026.html

Summary

Aperto – 90 Years of Neighborhood

90 years ago, the Austrian Pavilion opened in the Giardini della Biennale. On this occasion, the Friends ...

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Venedig Biennale Archiv Austria

Since 1895 Austria regularly takes part in the Biennale di Venezia (Biennale). The Biennale ...

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Biennale

Austria’s contributions are organised and implemented on commission by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport ...

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Austria’s contributions are organised and implemented on commission by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport and are significantly co-financed by it. They are a starting point for a lively, internationally oriented discussion and strengthen the country’s successful presence and the world-wide renown of Austrian arts, culture and architecture. Austria’s presentations at the Biennale contribute to a vibrant and creative art scene inside and outside Austria. The Venice Biennale is not just a magnet for art enthusiasts from all over the world, it is also an important forum attracting people from around the globe.

Being one of the most significant art exhibitions world-wide, the Venice Biennale is more than a periodic show of the creative achievements of different nations. For decades, it has decisively contributed to contemporary discourse and cultural development. Since 1895 artists from all over the world have presented their works in the national pavilions of the Venice Biennale, which has been complemented by the biannual International Architecture Exhibition since 1980.

The diversity of contributions and country presentations exhibited in the pavilions of the Giardini provide a suitable setting for showcasing the current works of art and architecture for an international audience. Austria was already invited to the very first Biennale in 1895 and ever since, has participated in each Biennale – with two exceptions – and all Architecture Exhibitions.

A review of previous contributions illustrates the great variety of the positions exhibited there. The spectrum of Austrian contributions ranges from Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka to the manifold positions of contemporary art, such as Maria Lassnig, Bruno Gironcoli, Arnulf Rainer, VALIE EXPORT, Franz West, Herbert Brandl, Mathias Poledna, Markus Schinwald, Dorit Margreiter, Walter Pichler, Elke Krystufek and Heimo Zobernig, to name just a few. They all showed their works in the Austrian pavilion and successfully represented Austria as a country of the arts. In the field of architecture, too, major projects have been implemented. When Austria participated for the first time in 1991, the country contributed 13 Austrian positions under curator Hans Hollein. Innovation, mutual exchanges and openness to experimental projects permitted inspiration and further development.

Summary