Plan_Lumi_re_Hardbr_cke_Photo_Juliet_Haller

Zurich selected as Host City for Manifesta 11 in 2016

The board of Manifesta is very proud to announce their selection of the City of Zurich, Switzerland as Host City of Manifesta 11 in 2016.

Since Manifesta’s inception in the early 1990s it’s mission has been to examine the cultural topography of Europe. Every two years it finds a new city or region in which to temporarily embed itself. In the past Manifesta has typically selected peripheral or contested regions as Hosts.

Zurich’s dynamic and complex urban environment will provide a socially, politically and artistically significant trajectory for Manifesta in the coming years.

Zurich has a very long history of artistic and intellectual liberalism. It was historically an incubator for revolutionary political and artistic movements. During periods of historical upheaval in Europe, Zurich offered asylum to intellectuals from around the world. Today’s Zurich is one of the most economically and technologically advanced cities in the world. This rich and rapidly evolving urban setting will give Manifesta 11 the opportunity to explore critical global issues relating to the processes of urbanization, urban space and society while reassessing the role art can play in these.

Manifesta 10 in 2014 will see the Biennial hosted by a historical institution for the first time, the State Hermitage Museum, in the City of St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. After the white cube setting of Manifesta 10 in 2014, the Zurich Bid presented an interesting counterpoint. Based on the concept of the ‘synthesis of the heterogeneous’, the Zurich Bid provided a nuanced vision of the critical potential of Manifesta as a ‘collective experiment’ for Zurich.

“The Manifesta board appreciated the openness expressed in the Zurich Bid and the willingness to invite Manifesta to take a critical position. With full awareness that initiating a Manifesta Biennial involves unpredictable outcomes Zurich embraces the critical discourse including the opportunities and risks that it entails. That is why we are thrilled to be going to Zurich for Manifesta 11.”
Hedwig Fijen, Manifesta Director

International Foundation Manifesta
Prinsengracht 175 hs
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland 1015 DS
Netherlands
www.manifesta.org

The impact, from 2012 to 2020, of the World Expo on the Milan and Italian economy in to a study commissioned by the Chamber of Commerce and Expo 2015 to a team of economic analysts

24.7 billions of additional production with an increase in value added estimated in € 10.5 billion and 199,000 people employed directly or indirectly (additional annual work units). This is the induced economic Expo 2015 will produce in Milan and in Italy, from 2012 to 2020, between investment of the management company and the participating countries (excluding infrastructure projects), increased sales, incoming tourism and economic legacy that the event will leave in terms of new jobs created, developing property assets and a growing touristic appeal of the area.

The tourist flows will receive the biggest impact from Expo (additional production of 9.4 billion, 4 billion in added value and about 80,000 jobs, plus 10,000 units of work as a long-term effect for the tourism sector), but the effects on the business system will be seen also in the start-ups (1.7 billion of additional production and 12,400 employees) and the increase of foreign direct investment (16,500 employees, € 1 billion of value added). There will be benefits for the real estate assets (Additional production of 1.1 billion Euros and more than 8,000 jobs) between investments linked to the Expo site and the revaluation of value of properties in the Milan area.

These are the most relevant results emerged from a study on the direct economic impact and the legacy of the Expo Milano 2015event, commissioned by the Chamber of Commerce and the Expo 2015 Company and lead by a team of economic analysts coordinated by Alberto Dell’Acqua, professor at the SDA Bocconi School of Management.

The project led to the creation of a model for estimating the economic impact of Expo Milano 2015, starting in 2012 and projected up to the year 2020, which will be made available to the BIE for the economic evaluation of the impact of the World Expositions.

“The data show – said Carlo Sangalli, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Milan – that Expo will be a driving force for growth able to give an important turning point for our economy. This is the reason why we must believe in this project in spite of this great crisis. As the Chamber of Commerce we are actively involving the business community to show a new interest in the appointment closer with the World Expo. Enterprises will be the engine for the event, but we need to make it work well, starting now, with a constructive effort and team spirit by all the parts involved and among the institutions”.

“The numbers of this research – explained Giuseppe Sala, CEO of the Expo 2015 Company – represent an injection of enthusiasm and optimism for the entire Italian system. In a difficult period of global economic crisis, is acknowledged that Expo Milano 2015 could have the decisive task to give life to the Italian Enterprises sector. The study deals with 25 billion Euros of additional production, in relation to which will be employed 200,000 people. This is the possible economic impact created by the World Expo in all Italy, until 2020. The event we are organizing will not end with the closing of the gates on October 31st, 2015. The positive impact will last in all sectors of production for years to come. It is crucial that local and national institutions invest resources, energy and ideas in this project. There is a lot at stake: the image of our country in the world, an incentive to get out of the stalemate we are living now, and the opportunity to move our economy towards a new step”.

“I am sure that the Expo will be the first major event after the crisis – stated Diana Bracco, President of the Expo 2015 Company and General Commissioner for Padiglione Italia (the Italian Pavilion) – a key factor in the revival of Italy’s image in the world and an important opportunity to support tourism and the growth of Italian manufactures in markets are set to become the drivers of development. The Expo, and the Italian Pavilion in particular, the implementation of which is my responsibility since a few months ago, will be an extraordinary showcase for the many small and medium enterprises which will benefit from the international stage to promote their excellence. During the six-month of the World Expo we expect more than 100 Heads of State, official delegations, trade missions and B2B meetings. The Italian Pavilion will be an outstanding platform for international relations and a powerful communication tool to promote our Made in Italy, our culinary tradition and the Italian unique cultural heritage and landscapes”.

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Throughout the meeting, be held at Triennale di Milano, Diana Bracco, General Commissioner for the Italian Pavilion, will show the concept at the base of the contest for the design of Padiglione Italia at Expo Milano. A space which will extend along the main axe, Cardo, and will offer an emotional travel through Italy, combining past and future of the Country and its territories.

The concept of Padiglione Italia of Expo Milano 2015 will be presented Tuesday 20th November 2012 at 17 throughout the workshop “Disegnare l’Italia”, be held at Triennale di Milano. The meeting will be opened by Robert Formigoni, General Commissioner for Expo Milano 2015, Giuliano Pisapia, Special Commissioner for Italian Government for Expo Milano 2015, Paolo Peluffo, Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Claudio De Albertis, President of Triennale. The event will see the participation of Giuseppe Sala, CEO of Expo 2015 SpA, Diana Bracco, General Commissioner of Padiglione Italia and President of Expo 2015 SpA, and Marco Balich.
The Italian creative mind, considered one of the most important event organizer all over the world, took up the challenge to develop the concept for Padiglione Italia in order to decline the Expo theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”. “We decided to launch a contest, European wide, for the design of Italian Pavilion, situated along Cardo”, stated Diana Bracco, “that’s why we organized this meeting to tell to the Country the concept at the base of the contest. We intend to offer high quality contents to touch visitors”.
According to Commissioner, Italian Pavilion will be a place which will offer to visitors an emotional journey through Italy. It is the only place able to sum up history, values, products and technological excellences. It is the Country that boasts an extraordinary artistic, landscape, culinary treasure of different and unique territorial traditions that are part of the Italian style, appreciated worldwide. “That’s why – added Mrs. Bracco – we intend that our Pavillion, developed along Cardo, will be a showcase of Italy System and, at the same time, a bridge between Italian excellences and those of the rest of the world. The greatest events looked after by Marco Balich throughout the years in Italy and abroad, are distinguished by combining values and contents with emotions and feelings. For his great communication skills, I believe he is the right person to fulfill this task”.
Marco Balich is proud of the appointment: “I’m glad that my ideas will be the cue for the design of Padiglione Italia. I’m thankful to Diana Bracco and Expo 2015 for trusting me. I’m hopeful that Expo Milano 2015 will be the signal of the Italian change worldwide. Italian Pavillion will be an exclusive showcase of Italy in occasion of a unique occasion of development and dialogue with the rest of the world”.

Marco Balich is one of the most important names in the organization of events and Olympics opening ceremonies (Master of Cerimonies) worldwide. At the end of 2011, he won the international contest for the organization of Rio 2016 Olympics. His career started in 2002 as Flag Handover Project Leader for the closing ceremony in Salt Lake City and in 2006 he became Creative Director and Executive Producer of Olympics Ceremonies in Turin, thanks to which he won two Emmy Awards.

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AL WORKSHOP “DISEGNARE L’ITALIA” DEL 20 NOVEMBRE SARA’ PRESENTATO IL CONCEPT DEL PADIGLIONE ITALIANO ALL’EXPO 2015

Nel corso dell’incontro, che si svolgerà al Palazzo della Triennale, Diana Bracco, Commissario Generale per il Padiglione Italia, illustrerà l’idea creativa che sarà alla base della gara architettonica per la realizzazione della Casa italiana all’Expo di Milano. Uno spazio icona che si svilupperà su tutto il Cardo e che dovrà essere capace di offrire, in ambito internazionale, l’emozione di un viaggio dentro l’Italia, coniugando il passato e il futuro del nostro Paese e dei suoi territori

Il concept del Padiglione Italia di Expo Milano 2015 sarà presentato martedì 20 novembre 2012 alle ore 17.00 presso il Palazzo della Triennale di Milano nel corso del Workshop “Disegnare l’Italia”. L’incontro sarà aperto dai saluti istituzionali di Roberto Formigoni, Commissario Generale per Expo Milano 2015, Giuliano Pisapia, Commissario Straordinario per Expo Milano 2015, Paolo Peluffo, Sottosegretario alla Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri e Claudio De Albertis, Presidente della Triennale. Seguiranno gli interventi di Giuseppe Sala, Amministratore Delegato di Expo 2015 S.p.A., Diana Bracco, Commissario Generale di Sezione per il Padiglione Italia e Presidente di Expo 2015 S.p.A., e Marco Balich.

Il creativo italiano, considerato una delle figure più importanti a livello mondiale nella produzione di grandi eventi, ha accettato infatti di sviluppare il concept del Padiglione Italia che dovrà declinare il tema dell’Expo 2015 “Nutrire il Pianeta, Energia per la vita”. “Abbiamo deciso di lanciare entro novembre una Gara europea per la progettazione preliminare, definitiva ed esecutiva del Padiglione Italia che si svilupperà lungo il Cardo”, afferma Diana Bracco, “e per questo abbiamo organizzato un evento pubblico per raccontare all’intero Paese il concept che sarà alla base di questa prima importantissima gara. Il nostro compito è proporre contenuti di alta qualità che sappiano comunicare ed emozionare”.

Nelle intenzioni del Commissario il Padiglione Italia dovrà essere infatti un vero e proprio luogo-icona capace di offrire, in ambito internazionale, l’emozione di un viaggio dentro l’Italia migliore. Un Paese unico che ha saputo sintetizzare storia, valori, prodotti, eccellenze tecnologiche. Un Paese che vanta uno straordinario tesoro artistico, paesaggistico, enogastronomico fatto di tante tradizioni territoriali che nella loro variegata unicità compongono il ricchissimo mosaico dello stile di vita italiano apprezzato in  tutto il mondo. “Per questo”, continua Diana Bracco, “vogliamo che il nostro Padiglione, che si svilupperà su tutto il Cardo, sia al tempo stesso una vetrina del Sistema Italia e un ponte tra le eccellenze italiane e quelle del resto del mondo. I grandi eventi curati da Marco Balich in tanti anni in Italia e all’estero hanno sempre avuto la caratteristica di coniugare valori e contenuti alti con emozioni coinvolgenti per tutti. Per questo e per la sua grande capacità comunicativa credo che sia la persona giusta”.

Un’investitura importante, quella ricevuta da Diana Bracco, di cui Marco Balich si è detto onorato: “Sono lieto che le idee che ho offerto al mio Paese siano state accettate e che presto diventeranno lo spunto per il lavoro degli architetti per la realizzazione del Padiglione Italia. Ringrazio il Commissario Diana Bracco e l’Expo 2015 per la fiducia riposta in me. Sono convinto che l’Expo di Milano rappresenterà su scala internazionale un forte segnale di cambiamento. Il padiglione Italia sarà una finestra espositiva unica del nostro Paese in questa straordinaria occasione di sviluppo e dialogo con il resto del mondo.”

Marco Balich è una delle figure più importanti a livello mondiale nella produzione di grandi eventi e cerimonie olimpiche (Master of Cerimonies). A fine 2011 Balich ha vinto la gara internazionale per la produzione esecutiva delle cerimonie dei Giochi di Rio 2016. Il suo percorso olimpico è iniziato nel 2002 come Project Leader del Flag Handover della cerimonia di chiusura di Salt Lake City e si è consolidato nel 2006 diventando Direttore Creativo ed Executive Producer delle cerimonie olimpiche di Torino, per le quali ha vinto due Emmy Awards.

Architect: Tange Kenzo / Tange Kenzo ASSOCIATES Urbanists-Architects Completion: 1989 – Construction: Steel girder and frame reinforced concrete Total floor space: 26,829 m2 Address: 3-4-1 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama

YOKOHAMA TRIENNALE 2014
Main Venues: Yokohama Museum of Art – Shinko Pier Exhibition Hall
http://www.yokohamatriennale.jp

The Yokohama Triennale is an international exhibition of contemporary art that is held in Yokohama once every three years. The exhibition features internationally prominent artists along with up-and-coming figures, and presents the latest trends and expressions in contemporary art.

Since the inaugural event in 2001, the triennale has been held four times, with the fifth exhibition scheduled for 2014. During this period, the world has been in a state of constant flux and the future remains unpredictable, as borne out by our own experiences in the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred several months prior to the fourth Yokohama Triennale in 2011. Under these circumstances, the exhibition has set out to address the relationship between Japan and the world, as well as the individual and society, and to reexamine the social role of art from a variety of perspectives.

Shinko Pier Exhibition Hall – Architect: Yoichi Matsumoto Associates, Architects – Completion: 2008 – Construction: Steel girder, single-story house, 4 spaces Total floor space: 4,400 m2
Address: 2-5 Shinko, Naka-ku, Yokohama

Announcing Yokohama Triennale 2014 and the Appointment of Artistic Director
On the occasion of the fifth edition of the Yokohama Triennale, set to be held from August to November 2014, we are pleased to announce the appointment of the artist Morimura Yasumasa as artistic director.
The Yokohama Triennale, launched in 2001 to foster new ways of creating culture, has been held four times in the past. Based on a theme that embodies the specific issues and topics of the era, the triennale presents a wide range of works by artists who are internationally prominent as well as up-and-coming.
Since 2011, a year which marks the beginning of a great change in the Japanese consciousness due to the experience of the Great East Japan Earthquake together with the tsunami and nuclear power plant disasters, an effort has been made to access the flexible concepts and views of artists, whose attitudes and ideas have the potential to help us reexamine our way of living and thinking. Thus, we have asked Morimura to serve as artistic director of the Yokohama Triennale 2014.
Since opening its port in the late 19th century, Yokohama has actively incorporated a variety of different cultures, and since implementing the Creative City Yokohama policy in 2004, the city has also strived to better utilize the potential of art and culture. The Yokohama Triennale is the core project in this undertak- ing. And while building on past achievements, the Yokohama Triennale 2014 will pursue new values that are essential to the current era through the medium of art and work to expand the channels that enable us to connect with the world.
We hope to receive the support and cooperation of many people in organizing the event, and we kindly ask that you consider covering the Yokohama Triennale 2014 in your publication.
Organizing Committee for Yokohama Triennale

Outline of Yokohama Triennale 2014
Program name: Yokohama Triennale 2014 Period: Early August to early November 2014 *Specific dates will be released as soon as they are finalized.
Venues: Yokohama Museum of Art and Shinko Pier Exhibition Hall Organizers: City of Yokohama, Yokohama Arts Foundation, Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), The Asahi Shimbun, and Organizing Committee for Yokohama Triennale Artistic Director: MORIMURA Yasumasa

Statement by MORIMURA Yasumasa Artistic Director of Yokohama Triennale 2014

The Conscience of Art / Art of the Unknown
The future is unknown. But a ship has set sail from Yokohama Port, and to be completely honest, the journey is likely to be risky with me as the captain.
Being an artist, I’ ve never had the chance to serve as the artistic director of any international exhibitions. I am taking the wheel for the first time and the ship has already left port without my having had a chance to learn how to steer.
But it seems to me that this kind of slightly reckless launch is exactly what’ s needed for an international exhibition today.
Since 2000, international exhibitions have sprung up everywhere, both in Japan and abroad, and there is no longer anything special or different about them. The scale is merely large. And the festive air is merely an amusement. Many are reduced to a symbol of populism, globalism, and localism. Market principles have exerted a consciously strong influence on the art world, prompting questions not only from those concerned but also from viewers. And though these people may still be in the minority, they are bound to increase as time goes by.
I’ m not a fundamentalist, so I have no desire to unilaterally decide that art should be one way or another. And I would never opt for try to limit art by applying rigid constraints and eliminating all of the works that did not conform to them. But at the same time a total absence of rules would only lead to difficulties. Though I want to maintain a forum for free expression, I want to get rid of the idea that freedom should be the sole conviction.
So, what exactly are my convictions? I believe in the “conscience of art.” If there is a god of art, I would ask that the works that we present to him or her be offerings that can be presented without shame.
Thus, a professional curator, who knows that the key to success lies in one’s ability to deal with that head wind called “reality,” might see my views as little more than the dreams of an idealist and admonish me for being so naive in light of the fact that I have never assumed the weighty mantle of artistic director. And it’ s true – having a childish artist whose only standards of value are dreams and ideals at the helm is ex- tremely perilous. Yet with the outlook of an insecure novice trying to recapture the fading spirit of adven- ture, I am setting out on this voyage with a fresh preparedness as I head into the unknown of the art world. And this in itself is sure to lead to some worthwhile proposals.
Though the nearly two-year journey will be a long one, I hope you can keep a close eye on the ship’s progress with a sense of curiosity and affection. I look forward to working with you all.

la Biennale di Venezia
14th International Architecture Exhibition/ Fundamentals
curated by Rem Koolhaas
Venice (Arsenale and Giardini), 7 June – 23 November 2014
Preview on 5 – 6 June 2014

Venice, 25 January 2013 – The President of la Biennale di Venezia, Paolo Baratta, accompanied by the curator of the 14th International Architecture Exhibition, Rem Koolhaas, met today at Ca’ Giustinian with the representatives of the 40 Countries participating in the 14th Exhibition, which will take place from 7 June to 23 November 2014 at the Giardini and at the Arsenale (Preview on 5 and 6 June) and in various other venues in Venice.

The title chosen by Rem Koolhaas for the 14th International Architecture Exhibition is:
Fundamentals

Rem Koolhaas has stated: “Fundamentals will be a Biennale about architecture, not architects. After several Biennales dedicated to the celebration of the contemporary, Fundamentals will focus on histories – on the inevitable elements of all architecture used by any architect, anywhere, anytime (the door, the floor, the ceiling etc.) and on the evolution of national architectures in the last 100 years. In three complementary manifestations – taking place in the Central Pavilion, the Arsenale, and the National Pavilions – this retrospective will generate a fresh understanding of the richness of architecture’s fundamental repertoire, apparently so exhausted today.

In 1914, it made sense to talk about a “Chinese” architecture, a “Swiss” architecture, an “Indian” architecture. One hundred years later, under the influence of wars, diverse political regimes, different states of development, national and international architectural movements, individual talents, friendships, random personal trajectories and technological developments, architectures that were once specific and local have become interchangeable and global. National identity has seemingly been sacrificed to modernity.

Having the decisive advantage of starting work a year earlier than the Biennale’s typical schedule, we hope to use this extra time to introduce a degree of coordination and coherence among the National Pavilions. Ideally, we would want the represented countries to engage a single theme – Absorbing Modernity: 1914-2014 – and to show, each in their own way, the process of the erasure of national characteristics in favour of the almost universal adoption of a single modern language in a single repertoire of typologies.

The First World War – the beginning of modern globalization – serves a starting point for the range of narratives. The transition to what seems like a universal architectural language is a more complex process than we typically recognize, involving significant encounters between cultures, technical inventions and imperceptible ways of remaining “national.” In a time of ubiquitous google research and the flattening of cultural memory, it is crucial for the future of architecture to resurrect and expose these narratives.

By telling the history of the last 100 years cumulatively, the exhibitions in the National Pavilions will generate a global overview of architecture’s evolution into a single, modern aesthetic, and at the same time uncover within globalization the survival of unique national features and mentalities that continue to exist and flourish even as international collaboration and exchange intensify…

The President Paolo Baratta explained the evolution of the Architecture Biennale and consequently the choice of Rem Koolhaas:
“We are universally recognized as the most important event in the world for Architecture; we are the place where Architecture talks about itself and meets life and society at large. For this reason over the past few years our choices of curators and themes have been based on the awareness of the gap between the “spectacularization” of architecture on the one hand, and the waning capacity of society to express its demands and its needs on the other hand. The architects are called upon prevalently to create awe-inspiring buildings and the “ordinary” is going astray, towards banality if not squalor: a modernity lived bad.
At the culmination of this process we have asked Rem Koolhaas to engage himself in an original research project.
The Exhibition is also evolving in the way it is organized. Born as an “imitation” of the Art Exhibition and developed to “invite” architects to bring us their installations, just like for the Art Biennale, it is evolving into a major Exhibition-research project conducted directly by the curator (who is in fact appointed as the director of the Architecture sector of the Biennale). The countries are offered the opportunity for a better integration into this research project. The Exhibition will be enhanced by an increasing number of activities throughout its duration, with workshops and seminars that enrich it as an active-Exhibition. For this reason we have decided to anticipate the opening date to the 7th of June and to make the Exhibition last as long as the Art Exhibition (about 6 months).”

The 14th International Architecture Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia will also present, as is traditional, the National Participations with their own exhibitions in the Pavilions at the Giardini and at the Arsenale, and in the historic city centre of Venice.

This edition will also include selected Collateral Events, presented by international entities and institutions, which will present their exhibitions and initiatives in Venice concurrently with the 14th Exhibition.

Official websites: www.labiennale.org

For further information
Architecture Press Office
la Biennale di Venezia
Tel. +39 041 5218846 / 849
e-mail: infoarchitettura@labiennale.org
FB: La Biennale di Venezia | @twitter.com/la_Biennale

la Biennale di Venezia
14. Mostra Internazionale di Architettura / Fundamentals
curata da Rem Koolhaas
Venezia (Arsenale e Giardini), 7 giugno – 23 novembre 2014
(vernice 5 e 6 giugno 2014)

Venezia, 25 gennaio 2013 – Il Presidente della Biennale di Venezia, Paolo Baratta, accompagnato dal Curatore della 14. Mostra Internazionale di Architettura, Rem Koolhaas, ha incontrato oggi a Ca’ Giustinian i rappresentanti di 40 Paesi partecipanti alla 14. Mostra, che si svolgerà dal 7 giugno al 23 novembre 2014 ai Giardini e all’Arsenale (vernice 5 e 6 giugno) nonché in vari luoghi di Venezia.

Il tema scelto da Rem Koolhaas per la 14. Mostra Internazionale di Architettura è
Fundamentals

Rem Koolhaas ha dichiarato:

“Fundamentals sarà una Biennale sull’architettura, non sugli architetti. Dopo diverse Biennali dedicate alla celebrazione del contemporaneo, Fundamentals si concentrerà sulla storia – sugli inevitabili elementi di tutta l’architettura utilizzati da ogni architetto, in ogni tempo e in ogni luogo (la porta, il pavimento, il soffitto, etc.) e sull’evoluzione delle architetture nazionali negli ultimi 100 anni. In tre manifestazioni complementari – che si svolgeranno al Padiglione Centrale, all’Arsenale e nei Padiglioni Nazionali – questa retrospettiva darà luogo a una rinnovata comprensione della ricchezza del repertorio di fondamenti dell’architettura, che attualmente sembra essere esaurito.

Nel 1914 aveva senso parlare di architettura “cinese”, architettura “svizzera”, architettura “indiana”. Cent’anni dopo, sotto la pressione di guerre, regimi politici diversi, molteplici condizioni di sviluppo, movimenti architettonici nazionali e internazionali, talenti individuali, amicizie, traiettorie personali casuali e sviluppi tecnologici, le architetture che un tempo erano specifiche e locali sono diventate intercambiabili e globali. Sembra che l’identità nazionale sia stata sacrificata sull’altare della modernità.

Grazie al decisivo vantaggio di poter avviare i lavori con un anno di anticipo rispetto al consueto programma della Biennale, speriamo di utilizzare questo tempo in più per introdurre un certo livello di coordinamento e coerenza tra le Partecipazioni Nazionali. Idealmente ci piacerebbe coinvolgere tutti i Paesi rappresentati su un unico tema – Absorbing Modernity: 1914-2014 – e indurli a mostrare, ciascuno a modo proprio, il processo di annullamento delle caratteristiche nazionali a favore dell’adozione su scala quasi universale di un singolo linguaggio moderno all’interno di un singolo repertorio di tipologie.

La prima guerra mondiale – l’inizio della globalizzazione moderna – funge da punto di partenza delle diverse narrazioni. La transizione verso ciò che sembra essere un linguaggio architettonico universale è un processo più complesso di quanto solitamente riconosciuto, poiché coinvolge significativi incontri tra culture, invenzioni tecniche e modalità impercettibili di restare “nazionali”. In un’epoca di universale utilizzo di google research e al tempo stesso di appiattimento dalla memoria culturale, è essenziale per il futuro dell’architettura far riemergere e mostrare questi racconti.

Raccontando in modo cumulativo la storia degli ultimi 100 anni, le mostre che si svolgeranno all’interno dei Padiglioni Nazionali daranno luogo a una panoramica globale dell’evoluzione dell’architettura verso un’unica estetica moderna e, allo stesso tempo, sveleranno all’interno della globalizzazione la sopravvivenza di caratteristiche e mentalità nazionali uniche che continuano ad esistere e fiorire all’interno delle culture individuali, anche con l’intensificarsi della collaborazione e dello scambio internazionali…”.

Il Presidente Paolo Baratta ha fatto il punto sull’evoluzione della Biennale Architettura e di conseguenza sulla scelta di Rem Koolhaas:

“Siamo universalmente riconosciuti come il più importante appuntamento del mondo per l’Architettura; siamo il luogo dove l’Architettura parla di se stessa e incontra la vita e la società civile. Proprio per questo negli ultimi anni siamo partiti dalla constatazione della separatezza e del divario tra la “spettacolarizzazione” dell’architettura da un lato, e della scarsa capacità di esprimere domanda ed esigenze da parte della società civile dall’altro. Gli architetti sono stati chiamati prevalentemente a realizzare opere stupefacenti e l’«ordinario» è alla deriva, verso la banalità quando non lo squallore: una modernità mal vissuta.

Al culmine di questo percorso abbiamo chiesto a Rem Koolhaas di impegnarsi su questo terreno con una ricerca originale.

La Mostra evolve anche nelle sue modalità organizzative. Nata ad “imitazione” della Mostra d’Arte e sviluppata per “inviti” ad architetti a portarci le loro istallazioni, così come si fa per l’Arte, si evolve verso una grande Mostra-ricerca condotta direttamente dal curatore (che è per l’appunto nominato direttore del settore Architettura della Biennale). Ai paesi viene offerta l’opportunità di meglio inserirsi nell’ambito di questa ricerca. La Mostra si arricchisce sempre più di attività lungo tutto il periodo della sua apertura, con workshop, laboratori e seminari che la integrano come Mostra-attiva. Per questo abbiamo deciso di anticipare l’apertura al giorno 7 giugno e di dare una durata alla Mostra pari a quella della Mostra d’Arte (circa 6 mesi).”

La 14. Mostra Internazionale di Architettura della Biennale di Venezia presenterà inoltre, come di consueto, le Partecipazioni nazionali, con proprie mostre nei Padiglioni ai Giardini e all’Arsenale, oltre che nel centro storico di Venezia.

Anche per questa edizione si prevedono selezionati Eventi collaterali, proposti da enti e istituzioni internazionali, che allestiranno le loro mostre e le loro iniziative a Venezia in concomitanza con la 14. Mostra.

Sito web ufficiale della 14. Mostra: www.labiennale.org

Per ulteriori informazioni
Ufficio Stampa Architettura della Biennale di Venezia
Tel. 041 – 5218846/849
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la Biennale di Venezia /
The 14th International Architecture Exhibition
From 7 June to 23 November 2014
 
The Board of Directors of la Biennale di Venezia, chaired by Paolo Baratta, has decided today that the 14th International Architecture Exhibition, directed by Rem Koolhaas, will be held from Saturday 7 June to Sunday 23 November 2014 at the Giardini and Arsenale venues.

la Biennale di Venezia/
The Board of Director appoints Rem Koolhaas
Director of the Architecture Sector
for the 14th International Architecture Exhibition 2014

Venice, 8 January 2013 – The Board of Directors of la Biennale di Venezia, chaired by Paolo Baratta, met today in the headquarters of Cà Giustinian and, after thanking and expressing its gratitude to David Chipperfield for the excellent results of the 13th International Architecture Exhibition, appointed Rem Koolhaas Director of the Architecture Sector, with the specific responsibility of curating the 14th International Architecture Exhibition to be held in 2014.

At the end of the meeting of the Board, President Paolo Baratta stated:
“The Architecture Exhibitions of the Biennale have gradually grown in importance internationally. Rem Koolhaas, one of the most significant personalities among the architects of our time – who has based all his work on intense research, now renowned celebrity – has accepted to engage himself in yet another research and, why not, rethinking”.

On his part, Rem Koolhaas has stated:
“We want to take a fresh look at the fundamental elements of architecture – used by any architect, anywhere, anytime – to see if we can discover something new about architecture.”

Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the Biennale Architettura 2010 and Pritzker Prize in 200, Rem Koolhaas (Rotterdam 1944) founded OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) in 1975 together with Elia and Zoe Zenghelis and Madelon Vriesendorp. At the same time as designing buildings around the world with OMA, Koolhaas works in non-architectural disciplines – politics, publishing, media, fashion and sociology – through his think tank and research unit, AMO.
After studying at the Architectural Association in London, and at Cornell and the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in the US, Koolhaas wrote Delirious New York (1978). In 1995, S,M,L,XL summarized the work of OMA in a 1,200-page book that redefined architectural publishing. Recently completed OMA buildings led by Koolhaas include the new headquarters for China Central Television (CCTV) in Beijing; a new headquarters for Rothschild Bank in London; the Wyly Theatre, Dallas; and Milstein Hall, an extension to Cornell’s college of Architecture, Art and Planning. OMA buildings currently under construction include the Taipei Performing Arts Centre; a  new headquarters for G-star in Amsterdam; the Shenzhen Stock Exchange; and De Rotterdam, a mixed-use building on the river Maas.

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Venezia, 8 gennaio 2013 – Cda della Biennale di Venezia, presieduto da Paolo Baratta, si è riunito oggi nella sede di Ca’ Giustinian e, dopo aver ringraziato e aver espresso la sua gratitudine a David Chipperfield per gli ottimi risultati conseguiti con la 13. Mostra Internazionale di Architettura, ha nominato Rem Koolhaas Direttore del Settore Architettura, con lo specifico incarico di curare la 14. Mostra Internazionale di Architettura che si terrà nel 2014.

Al termine del CdA, il Presidente Paolo Baratta ha dichiarato:
“Le Mostre di Architettura della Biennale sono via via cresciute d’importanza e il mondo ce lo riconosce, ed è di per sé significativo che a questa prossima Biennale si possa impegnare Rem Koolhaas, una delle maggiori personalità tra gli architetti del nostro tempo, che ha impostato tutta la sua attività su un’intensa ricerca e che, celebrità riconosciuta, accetta ora di mettersi in gioco per un ulteriore esercizio di ricerca e, perché no, di ripensamento”.

Da parte sua Rem Koolhaas ha affermato:
“Vogliamo dare uno sguardo nuovo agli elementi fondamentali dell’architettura – utilizzati da qualsiasi architetto, ovunque e in qualsiasi momento – per vedere se siamo in grado di scoprire qualcosa di nuovo sull’architettura”.

Leone d’oro alla carriera alla Biennale Architettura 2010 e Premio Pritzker nel 2000, Rem Koolhaas fonda OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) nel 1975 con Elia e Zoe Zenghelis e Madelon Vriesendorp. Oltre alla progettazione di edifici in tutto il mondo con OMA, Koolhaas lavora a discipline non architettoniche – politica, editoria, media, moda e sociologia – attraverso il suo think tank ed unità di ricerca, AMO.
Dopo aver studiato all’Architectural Association di Londra, alla Cornell e all’Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies negli Stati Uniti, Koolhaas scrive Delirious New York (1978). Nel 1995 esce S,M,L,XL, un volume di 1.200 pagine che riassume il lavoro di OMA e ridisegna le pubblicazioni di architettura. Recentemente Koolhaas ha completato con OMA edifici come la nuova sede per la China Central Television (CCTV) a Pechino; la nuova sede per la Rothschild Bank di Londra; il Teatro Wyly a Dallas; Milstein Hall, ampliamento del Cornell college of Architecture. Gli edifici firmati OMA attualmente in costruzione includono il Taipei Performing Arts Centre; la nuova sede del marchio di moda G-star ad Amsterdam; la Borsa di Shenzhen; De Rotterdam, un edificio multiuso sul fiume Maas.

BIENNALE OF SYDNEY MOVES TO NEW DATES: 21 MARCH – 9 JUNE 2014
Sydney, Australia: The Biennale of Sydney today announced the 2014 exhibition will open to the public from 21 March until 9 June 2014, with the Vernissage to be held from Tuesday, 18 March to Thursday, 20 March 2014.
The new dates mark the earliest opening of any Biennale in the organisation’s 40-year history.
Marah Braye, Chief Executive Officer, said: ‘We are pleased to present the 19th Biennale of Sydney during Sydney’s warmer autumn months and anticipate the earlier dates will be welcomed by our local and international visitors and colleagues, many of whom will appreciate the improved alignment with other major events on the arts calendar.’
The 19th Biennale of Sydney: You Imagine What You Desire will be curated by Juliana Engberg, who commented: ‘The exhibition will take advantage of the existing Biennale venue map. The key venues will provide the perfect roll out for episodic art encounters as we go in search of the artistic imagination and how it brings into being through its creative desiring.’
Accreditation is now open for arts industry and media professionals to register their interest in attending Vernissage and opening week events. Register at biennaleofsydney.com

19TH BIENNALE OF SYDNEY: YOU IMAGINE WHAT YOU DESIRE
Media Preview: Tuesday, 18 March 2014
Vernissage: Tuesday, 18 March – Thursday, 20 March 2014
Public dates: Friday, 21 March – Monday, 9 June 2014

ABOUT THE BIENNALE OF SYDNEY
Every two years, the Biennale of Sydney is presented free to the public over a twelve-week period. It was the first biennale to be established in the Asia-Pacific region and, alongside the Venice and São Paulo biennales and documenta, is one of the longest running exhibitions of its kind. Since its inception in 1973, the Biennale of Sydney has provided an international platform for innovative and challenging contemporary art, showcasing the work of nearly 1600 artists from over 100 countries.
The Biennale of Sydney gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the many organisations and individuals that make the exhibition and its programs possible.

ABOUT JULIANA ENGBERG, 19TH BIENNALE OF SYDNEY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Juliana Engberg is a curator, writer, publisher and designer, and is currently the Artistic Director of ACCA (Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne), a position she will continue during her time as Artistic Director of the 19th Biennale of Sydney (2014).
Previously, Engberg was Curator of the Melbourne Festival Visual Arts Program for seven years (2000–06). In 2007, Engberg was the senior curatorial advisor for the Australian presentations at the Venice Biennale and inaugurated the ACCA POP-UP PROGRAM in Venice to coincide with the 54th Venice Biennale (2011). Engberg received the coveted Herald ‘ANGEL’ award for the visual arts programs she developed for The Edinburgh International Arts Festival 2009.
Engberg was Artistic Director of the internationally acclaimed Melbourne International Biennial 1999 Signs of Life and Senior Curator of the Art & Industry Biennale, Christchurch, New Zealand in 2002. She has worked as Senior Curator at the Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne and was Assistant Director of the Monash University Gallery, and Director of the formative contemporary art space, the Ewing and George Paton Galleries, The University of Melbourne. Engberg was the inaugural curatorial resident at Spike Island, Bristol, England, from 2000–01.
Engberg is Adjunct Professor in Architecture, Design and Art at RMIT University, Professorial Fellow in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture at Monash University, and has been a Visiting Critic at the Glasgow School of Art, Scotland, and a visiting juror for the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Requests for interviews and further information should be directed to:
Kym Elphinstone – Director, [art]iculate
T +61 (0) 421 106 139 – E kym@articulatepr.com.au

Gabrielle Wilson
T +61 (0) 433 972 915
E gabrielle@articulatepr.com.au

Manifesta is delighted to announce that the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation will be the Host of Manifesta 10. The collaboration between these institutions for the upcoming edition of Manifesta to be held in 2014 celebrates a meeting of anniversaries and shared historical relationships.

The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg was selected by the Board of Manifesta Foundation because of its critical intellectual and historical relationship with East and West Europe: a uniting principal that is also central to Manifesta, as the single roving European biennial of contemporary art. Manifesta 10 will consider the historical perspective of St. Petersburg’s view to the West, and its extensive relationship with Europe at large. Other venues in the city will also participate and further details will be announced soon.

2014 will mark the 20th anniversary of Manifesta, the European Biennial of Contemporary Art, which was initiated in response to the new social, cultural and political reality that emerged in the aftermath of the Cold War. This Jubilee year event will analyse the 25 years of changing realities and experiences as they transformed within this new global world order.

One of the oldest and most prestigious museums in the world, the State Hermitage Museum was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great as her personal art collection and has been open to the public since 1852. In 2014 the museum celebrates 250 years of existence. The newly renovated General Staff Building, the new premises of the State Hermitage Museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art, will be fully open in 2014, and will be the main stage of Manifesta 10.

There is an extensive Q&A document available on the website of the Manifesta Foundation (www.manifesta.org) and the State Hermitage Museum (www.hermitagemuseum.org)

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Hedwig Fijen
Founding Director of Manifesta comments:
We are very excited that the Manifesta 10 jubilee edition will be hosted by the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg. St Petersburg historically bridged the gap between East and West Europe for more than 300 years and from this perspective the collaboration between Manifesta and the State Hermitage is an intriguing source of inspiration. This partnership of Manifesta with its roving nature, its innovative curatorial methodology and experimental artistic practices with such an influential historical museum as the Hermitage is unprecedented and I am sure that it will result in a challenging series of biennial exhibitions.

Prof. Mikhail Piotrovsky
Director General of The State Hermitage comments:
The State Hermitage museum is glad to host Manifesta 2014, the year when the Hermitage will be celebrating its 250th anniversary. With the arrival of Manifesta, the Hermitage will highlight its traditions: its roots within the epoch of Catherine the Great and her passion for the contemporary art of her time, and the role that the museum’s collections and exhibitions have always played in the artistic life of Russia. We see contemporary art is a natural, albeit intricate, development of these age-old traditions. Therefore, the key moment in Manifesta 10 for us will be the theme of the Hermitage in today’s context.

Viktor Misiano
Chair of the Manifesta Foundation, Russian art critic and curator comments:
Manifesta was built up as a platform for dialogue in between the East and the West. Reaching St. Petersburg Manifesta will find itself in the country of an extreme European East and in the city that was conceived as its extreme Western outpost. Manifesta has always been seeking new places, their genius, their particularity and their historical, cultural and political complexity. St. Petersburg is a city of the complex cultural and political past and of the present. To do a Manifesta here is a challenge. And that is another strong reason to be present. Manifesta is approaching its 10th edition; its history is short, but it already exists. The Hermitage with its glorious heritage is a coherent place to reflect two “Manifesta decades”.

Vassily Kizhedzhi
Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg comments:
St. Petersburg has been historically and stays till now the outstanding cultural centre of Russia. Supporting the leader of the Russian culture – the State Hermitage museum – in its aspiration for development of the interest of the society towards contemporary art and the understanding of art processes taking place in the world, the City Government will give it’s support in the preparation and organization of Manifesta 10 in the cultural capital of Russia.

Previous Host Cities of Manifesta:
Manifesta 1, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 1996
Manifesta 2, Luxemburg,  Luxemburg 1998
Manifesta 3, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2000
Manifesta 4, Frankfurt, Germany, 2002
Manifesta 5, Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain, 2004
Manifesta 6, Nicosia, Cyprus, 2006 (cancelled)
Manifesta 7, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy, 2008
Manifesta 8, Murcia and Cartagena, Spain, 2010
Manifesta 9, Genk, Limburg, Belgium, 2012

For further information including interviews and images please contact the Manifesta Foundation in Amsterdam or the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

Manifesta Foundation
Prinsengracht 175 hs
NL – 1015 DS Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel. + 31 (0) 20 672 1435
secretariat@manifesta.org
http://www.manifesta.org

The State Hermitage Museum
Dvortsovaya emb. 34
190000 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
Tel. + 7 812 710 95 02
Fax + 7 312 16 57
press@hermitage.ru
www.hermitagemuseum.org

PAD Paris
Art + Design
27-31 mars 2013
Jardin des Tuileres
http://www.pad-fairs.com/paris/en

For more information, visit abudhabiartfair.ae

The artist in her studio, 1982. Image courtesy the artist and Galerie Buchholz, Cologne/Berlin.

Isa Genzken
November 17, 2013–March 10, 2014
The Joan and Preston Robert Tisch Exhibition Gallery, sixth floor
www.moma.org

Isa Genzken (German, b. 1948) is arguably one of the most important and influential female artists of the past 30 years. This exhibition, the first comprehensive retrospective of this artist’s epically diverse body of work in an American museum, and the largest to date, encompasses Genzken’s work in all mediums over the past 40 years. Although a New York art audience might be familiar with Genzken’s more recent assemblage sculptures, the breadth of her achievement—which includes not only three-dimensional work but paintings, photographs, collages, drawings, artist’s books, films, and public sculptures—is still largely unknown in this country. Many of the nearly 200 works in the exhibition will be on view in the United States for the first time.

Genzken’s work has been part of the artistic discourse since she began exhibiting in the mid-1970s, but over the last decade a new generation has been inspired by the artist’s radical inventiveness. The past 10 years have been particularly productive for Genzken, who, with a new language of found objects and collage, has created several bodies of work that have redefined assemblage for a new era. These groups of sculptures range from smaller, diorama-like works to room-filling installations. The exhibition is organized by Sabine Breitwieser, Chief Curator, Department of Media and Performance Art, and Laura Hoptman, Curator, Department of Painting and Sculpture, The Museum of Modern Art; Michael Darling, the James W. Alsdorf Chief Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; and Jeffrey Grove, the Hoffman Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Dallas Museum of Art; with Stephanie Weber, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Media and Performance Art, The Museum of Modern Art.

Major support for the exhibition is provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Isa Genzken. Bild (Painting). 1989. Gift of Susan and Leonard Feinstein and an anonymous donor. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. © 2012 Isa Genzken. Photo © 2012 The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Photo: Jonathan Muzikar.