Netherlands
The Dutch Pavilion at the 14th International Architecture Exhibition features the work of architect Jaap Bakema, a leading voice in post-WWII architecture. Bakema's aim was to build an open society that would be democratic and egalitarian, and his work is scrutinized in an installation that utilizes various media. The installation aims to rethink the idea of an open society and its relevance today. It features Bakema's monumental proposals for the Dutch welfare state and presents him as a touchstone for rethinking the ideals of the open society.
Supermarket sweep… the Latvian pavilion which has been transformed into a minimart.
This contribution brings a little levity to the long trek through the halls of the Arsenale.
Choice as the basis of architectural process, the pop aesthetics emphasizing the languages of consumption as in Hamilton or Warhol: everything is structured by the dynamics of commerce.
Presented as a supermarket, its "products" feature the text from every national biennale exhibit from the last decade, boiled down to its essence through Al. It sticks a pin into the whole ball of hot air. Thank you for that.
Funny thing about designing one liners is they aren't good unless you follow them to the utter end with utmost seriousness lol. That's why I loved the Latvian pavilion this year!
Welcome to T/C Latvija, surely the most instagrammed installation of this edition of the Biennale
Latvia is reopening the archive boxes once again, reminding us (including the Biennial Presidency) of everything that has already been thought up and invented, and inviting us to place the most urgently needed products in the basket, to combine them with one another, and ultimately consume all the knowledge.
Fun, colourful and thought-provoking, it offers a tongue-in-cheek moment to the Arsenale sequence...
Latvia's participation in the Biennale Architettura 2023 is organized and supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.
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