Padiglione Universo Debuts at Venice Architecture Biennale

A new collateral project called Padiglione Universo will launch during the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale, opening to the public on May 10. Conceived by space engineer Claudia Kessler, the project is hosted at Fàbrica 33 in Cannaregio and features a collective exhibition titled Sheltering in Space – A Guide. The show explores sustainable off-planet communities, focusing on challenges in space research and the role of artistic and philosophical thought. Curated by Claudia Schnugg, the project includes performances and events with partners such as embassies and space agencies, and a collaboration with Gambero Rosso on food in space. Artist Kristina Pulejkova is developing a speculative life-support system using fungi and yeast to capture CO2 and produce food. The initiative aims to break from the national pavilion model by emphasizing transnational collaboration. Kessler, based in Venice, was inspired by the lack of a universal space pavilion at the Biennale. She enlisted artist Janine Thüngen-Reichenbach, who offered her space Fàbrica 33, and curator Schnugg in June 2023. The project intends to become a permanent platform for interdisciplinary exchange at future Biennales.