Some time before this official announcement, there were rumors in architectural circles that the organizers of the Venice Biennale - in the interests of political correctness and diversity - were looking for a woman architect from a non-European country for this honorable and responsible position. Proceeding from the fact that this should be a very famous and respected person, the circle of candidates was limited to two names - Liz Diller (Bureau "Diller Scofidio + Renfro") and Kazuyo Sejima.
Oddly enough, the rumors turned out to be true. The curatorship of Sejima, the first woman in this role, also marks a return to practice: next year, for the first time since 2000, when the Biennale was directed by Massimiliano Fuksas, an active architect will be in charge of the exhibition.
Sejima has already outlined three main themes for the future exhibition: first, it will be buildings (perhaps in opposition to her predecessor as curator): the atmosphere they create, what they really are (and not "displayed"), the process of their design and their use by people.
The motive of borders will also be highlighted - between concepts, between zones of space … The curator asks the question: “What did the 21st century bring us? Strengthening borders, clarifying them, or blurring and transforming? In the same vein, the opposing concepts defining architecture, their mutual influence, convergence and conflict will be considered: external and internal, private and public, program and form (form and function), material and virtual, modern and classical, past and future, and so on. …
The third theme of the future exhibition will be “people in architecture”: meetings between people in public or private settings, meetings between “creators” and “consumers”. A similar plot determines the purpose of the Biennale itself as a forum of contemporary ideas and a space for a close acquaintance with the buildings.
It should be noted that in 2000, at the VII Venice Biennale, Sejima was the curator of the Japanese pavilion, where she presented the exhibition City of Girls, and in 2004 she received the Golden Lion as part of the SANAA bureau for the best project - Museum of Contemporary Art of the XXI century in Kanazawa …
The XII Biennale will begin earlier than usual - on August 29, 2010 (the opening day will take place on August 26-28) - and will last until November 21.
