One of the most advertised sections of the architectural biennale taking place now in Venice is the exposition dedicated to the Taiwanese project Next-Gene20 (or simply Gene20). It was located opposite the entrance to the Arsenal, and it was almost impossible not to notice it. The guests were lured to the opening ceremony with a promise to show two completely new projects by Zaha Hadid, completed by her in addition to the 20 villas indicated in the name (which had already been presented to the public earlier and could not provide sensations). And, although the exhibition has curators and even a commissioner, like the national pavilion, its advertising essence is felt very clearly. These twenty villas from 10 Taiwanese and 10 foreign architects, as well as two buildings from Hadid, are being exhibited as an exclusive product in the real estate market, rather than an architectural experiment, like the "Great Wall Commune" (although there were initiators of developers, and now in exquisite villas a hotel was opened near Beijing). For Next-Gene20, there was even a commercial shot, albeit incomparably brighter than the usual promo video; but its originality (by Squint / Opera studio) only gave the organizers a reason to present it as video art.
Of course, Zaha Hadid (and her Villa Symbiotic and Next Gene Architectural Museum), Kengo Kuma, Toshiko Mori, Yun Ho Chan and FCJZ, MVRDV, JDS, GRAFT can draw attention to their common project without his participation at the Biennale, but the very fact the persistent desire of developers to extend the scope of their activity to this far from commerce exhibition, which is usually perceived if not as a cut of the next stage in the development of modern architecture, then at least as "exercises on a given topic", which, due to their capabilities and inclinations, are demonstrated by participants from all over the world, would be very sad. If not for the current situation in the real estate sphere.
