MVRDV Wins Competition for €240M Rotterdam Landmark; EU Pulls Biennale Funding

MVRDV has won Shift's competition to design Rotterdam Rocks!, a €240 million landmark on the Maas riverbank. The 30,000-square-meter building features seven stacked rocks with terraces, exhibition spaces, a hotel, conference center, and food court, anchoring the new Waterkant district. The competition, launched in 2025 with DVDL, sought a 'new world wonder' addressing climate and biodiversity. Separately, the European Union withdrew $2.3 million from the Venice Biennale after Russia rejoined, citing democratic values. Russia's participation, announced in March, drew backlash from Italy's culture minister Alessandro Giuli. Biennale organizers defended the decision, rejecting censorship. In other news, Ferran Barenblit will curate the 16th Shanghai Biennale in November 2027 at the Power Station of Art. A coalition of 35 Vienna galleries launched Astoria Artshow, running September 10–13 at the Astoria Garage, following cancellation of the city's main fairs. In Chile, restorers are uncovering Julio Escámez's mural 'Beginning and End' in Chillán's city hall, buried under 12 layers of paint since Pinochet's 1973 coup. The restoration is expected to finish in December 2027.