The Architecture Biennale

A unique insight into the making of the architectural world’s most influential event

Yaneva’s ethnographical approach offers a fresh perspective on the Biennale as an essential tool for architectural discourse

Launch at the finissage of the 2025 Biennale Architettura di Venezia

Biennales have occupied a central place in the discourse of architecture. Every two years, architects, educators and students from all over the world gather in Venice to celebrate the most influential event in the ‘galaxy’ of architecture: the Biennale Architettura.

To understand how Architecture Biennales are planned, curated and staged, leading architectural theorist and anthropologist Albena Yaneva traces the making of the ninenteenth International Architecture Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia in 2025 (Entitled Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.) as a key site for the interaction of architecture, global trends and local politics. Going beyond the curator’s official announcements, press releases and catalogues, Yaneva focusses on the ‘magical crowd’ of curatorial assistants, exhibition designers, Biennale staff and many others to document the Biennale’s making. In so doing, she manages to shine a unique light on the specific dynamics that make the Biennale Architettura such an essential tool for shaping discourse in the field of architecture.