27-05-2025
5 Asian pavilions telling stories of resilience and culture at the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2025
Hong Kong Pavilion
Above 'Projecting Future Heritage: A Hong Kong Archive' (Photo: courtesy of Oliver Yin Law)
Where: The Arsenale, Venice
What: The Hong Kong Pavilion presents Projecting Future Heritage: A Hong Kong Archive , curated by Ar Fai Au, the founder of O Studio Architects; Dr Ying Zhou, an urban theorist; and Ar Sing Yeung Sunnie Lau, the founder of SOS Architecture Urban Design Studio. The team spotlights the sunset industry of traditional bamboo scaffolding and the oft-overlooked side of the cityscape, beyond its gleaming, swanky skyscrapers. The pavilion showcases the innovative measures that Hong Kong architects have to take to make the best use of space in Hong Kong's notoriously cramped urban landscape. Korean Pavilion
Above 'Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion'
(Photo: courtesy of Korean Pavilion)
Where: The Giardini, Venice
What: South Korea is commemorating its pavilion's 30th anniversary this year at the Venice Biennale. The space was designed by Italian architect Franco Mancuso and Korean architect Kim Seok-chul, who originally built the pavilion within a cluster of trees to emphasise its connection with nature.
Now, it has been reimagined by artists Kim Hyunjong, Heechan Park, Young Yena and Lee Dammy, who have put up site-responsive installations in an exhibition titled the Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion . For instance, Kim's New Voyage , which is installed on the rooftop of the pavilion, turns the space of leisure into an open observatory oriented toward the Adriatic Sea. This installation suggests a new perspective on the use of the pavilion's space and the metaphor for a new adventure. Taiwan Pavilion
Above 'Non-Belief: Taiwan Intelligens of Precarity' (Photo: courtesy of H2O Studio)
Where: Palazzo delle Prigioni
What: Non-Belief: Taiwan Intelligens of Precarity reflects on the conditions of uncertainty, such as unpredictable natural disasters, geopolitical tensions and the threats of globalisation, which make up the sociopolitical fabric of Taiwan. In the showcase, the artists and the architects highlight sustainable and efficient designs inspired by the region's resilient building culture. For instance, the installation Border Elasticity focuses on the use of futuristic materials such as transparent acrylic sticks for constructing the Tainan Railway Underground. The structure also resembles incense sticks to serve as a metaphor for how people need to navigate crowded urban spaces. Uzbekistan Pavilion
Above 'A Matter of Radiance' (Photo: courtesy of Gerda Studio and the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation)
Where: The Arsenale, Venice
What: Curated by Ekaterina Golovatyuk and Giacomo Cantoni of Grace studio, A Matter of Radiance takes inspiration from the modernist scientific structure, The Sun Institute of Material Science, originally called the Sun Heliocomplex, built in 1987 near Tashkent, which was one of the last major scientific projects of the USSR. The pavilion explores the scientific and cultural relevance of Uzbekistan's recent modernist legacy and its potential.
