The ten candidates admitted to the second phase of the selection process for the Curator and Scientific Project for the Italian Pavilion 2025 at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale have been announced.
The selected nominees are: Massimo Alvisi (Habitus Group: Massimo Alvisi, Marilena Baggio, Marco Biraghi, Gianpiero Borgia, Roberto Fioretti, Vittorio Gallese, Christian Iaione, Pisana Posocco, Davide Ruzzon), Laura Andreini (SEDIMENTA Group: Laura Andreini, Isotta Cortesi), Aldo Aymonino (Group consisting of Aldo Aymonino, Valerio Paolo Mosco), Maria Claudia Clemente and Francesco Isidori (LABICS + SPAZIO TAVERNA Group), Dario Costi, Michele De Lucchi (AMDL CIRCLE Group: Michele De Lucchi, Angelo Micheli, Davide Angeli, Nicholas Bewick), Alfonso Femia, Luca Galofaro (Group consisting of Domitilla Dardi, Luca Galofaro, Annalisa Metta, Emanuele Quinz), Cherubino Gambardella, and Guendalina Salimei. Out of 48 applications received, the commission selected this shortlist.
The commission is composed of the Director General of Contemporary Creativity and Commissioner of the Italian Pavilion, Angelo Piero Cappello, acting as President, the President of the Technical-Scientific Committee for Contemporary Art and Architecture Claudio Varagnoli, and three high-profile scientific personalities in the field of contemporary architecture: Paolo Desideri, Margherita Guccione, and Renata Cristina Mazzantini.
The candidates come from various Italian cities, such as Milan, Florence, and Naples, with a prevalence from the Rome area, similar to the commission. The selection includes professors, designers, landscape architects, and established professionals, with an average older age. This approach differs from the 2023 choice, which saw the emergence of the younger Fosbury group. In the second phase, the ten selected curators must submit detailed dossiers of their proposals for the Italian Pavilion 2025. These dossiers must include the exhibition project, the economic framework, and the schedule.
The Commission will evaluate the proposals in terms of credibility, concreteness, and feasibility. Finally, a final shortlist will be prepared, which the Director General CC and Commissioner of the Pavilion will submit to the Minister. After consulting the Commissioner, the Minister will choose the most suitable proposal and assign the curatorship for the Italian Pavilion 2025.
This is the first time that the public competition procedure has been applied to architecture for the Italian Pavilion. Previously, the curator’s appointment was decided by the Minister of Culture and his advisors. This new approach was introduced starting from the 2024 Art Biennale, which saw the success of the pavilion curated by Luca Cerizza for Lorenzo Bartolini. This change represents a significant step forward towards greater transparency and participation in the selection of curators for the Venice Biennale, ensuring that proposals are evaluated rigorously and impartially.
For more info: www.labiennale.org
