Venice Architecture Biennale 2021 Opens Amid Pandemic, Criticized for Lack of Coherence

The 17th Venice Architecture Biennale, curated by Hashim Sarkis under the title "How Will We Live Together?," opened on May 19–21, 2021, after a one-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was marked by strict health protocols, sparse crowds, and an absence of parties or vernissages. Critic Christophe Catsaros, writing for artpress, delivered a largely negative review, describing the exhibition as an incoherent accumulation of formal postures lacking overall vision. He singled out Allan Wexler's installation "Among Diverse Beings" at the Arsenal entrance as a baroque, hollow gesture mixing ethnographic art with cyborg imagery. Many eco-themed projects were deemed insufficient given the environmental crisis. Notable exceptions included Raumlabor and Forensic Architecture's contributions, Giulia Foscari's work on Antarctica, and national pavilions from Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, and the Scandinavian countries. The German and Canadian pavilions relied entirely on QR codes, leaving Catsaros unable to view them without a charged phone. The French pavilion by Christophe Hutin was praised but noted as already well-documented. Catsaros criticized the overwhelming number of US contributors, arguing that American formalism, superficially ecological or feminist, lacked critical disposition and reflected the country's own societal crises. The Biennale runs until November 21, 2021, across multiple venues in Venice.