OPEN CALL FOR EXHIBITION PROPOSALS FOR THE ALBANIAN PAVILION AT THE 18th  INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE EXHIBITION Biennale Architettura 2023 

OPEN CALL FOR EXHIBITION PROPOSALS FOR THE ALBANIAN PAVILION AT THE 18^th  INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE EXHIBITION

Biennale Architettura 2023

VENICE, 20.05.2023 – 26.11. 2023

In the framework of the 18^th Venice Architecture Biennale to be held in Venice, Italy, the Albanian Ministry of Culture, as the Commissioner of the Albanian Pavilion, is seeking expressions of interest for project proposals for the exhibition at the Albanian Pavilion, which will be opened to the public on May 20 until November 26, 2023.

Lesley Lokko is appointed as the Curator of the 18^th International Architecture Exhibition.

The title of the Biennale is “The Laboratory of the Future”

“New technologies continuously appear and disappear – stated Lesley Lokko giving us unfiltered glimpses of life in parts of the globe we will likely never visit, much less understand. But to see both near and far simultaneously is also, as Du Bois and Fanon famously put it, a form of ‘double consciousness’, the internal conflict of all subordinated or colonised groups, which describes the majority of the world, not only ‘there’, in the so-called Developing-, Third-, and Arab Worlds, but ‘here’ too, in the metropoles and landscapes of the global North. In Europe we speak of minorities and diversity, but the truth is that the West’s minorities are the global majority’diversity is our norm. There is one place on this planet where all these questions of equity, race, hope and fear converge and coalesce. Africa. At an anthropological level, we are all African. And what happens in Africa happens to us all”.

More information on the theme can be found on the web page of the Biennale Architettura 2023 http://www.labiennale.org

The Ministry of Culture opens the call for project ideas inspired by a careful observation of contemporary architecture and Albanian society, especially where this makes a difference, as well as the visual means through which they will be communicated to the general public and professionals.

Biennale Architettura 2023 also maintains that it is in its material, spatial, and cultural specificity that architecture inspires the ways we live together. In that respect, the participants have to highlight those aspects of the main theme that are uniquely architectural.

The profile of the candidates:

1. We are looking for a multidisciplinary exhibition team (composed of architect(s) (team leader), artists, graphic designer(s), art critics, craftspeople, urban sociologist, urban planner, which:
2. Demonstrate to have knowledge about Albanian architecture
3. Have national and /or international experience in the field of architecture, urbanism and landscape which will be proven by respective portfolios.
4. This call is open to any nationality.

The candidate(s) should be able to:

1. Conduct research and develop an integrated curatorial design project idea accompanied by a coherent curatorial narrative
2. Develop an integrated curatorial project idea for the Albanian Pavilion, along with the producing and/or sourcing the exhibition content such as: photography, installations, written materials for exhibition panels and any other related texts.
3. To create a cultural programme composed by cultural side events which will be organized during the days the exhibition will be opened for the public
4. -To implement and manage the whole project successfully.

The Ministry of Culture encourages all candidates to co-operate with national and/or foreign curators who have the appropriate experience in organizing and participating in similar events.

SELECTION WILL BE DONE IN TWO PHASES:

Phase 1: In this stage the best project ideas will be selected. Deadline: December 18, 2022.

The Jury will select 3 (three) project ideas which will be qualified for the second phase.

The Jury will announce the best three projects idea by December 23, 2023.

Phase 2: The three selected teams will be invited to work up a fully detailed exhibition project which will be presented to the Jury. These detailed exhibition projects should be submitted by the latest 12.00 PM on January 11, 2023.

The Jury will announce the criteria for the detailed project proposal immediately after the announcement of the shortlist of three teams.

The announcement of the winning project: January 16, 2023.

THE SELECTION PROCEDURE

The project ideas and the detailed project proposals will be evaluated by an international Jury composed of 5 members. The evaluation of the Jury will judge proposals on the basis of:

1. Clarity of the project proposal
2. Imaginative quality of the concept
3. Potential of the project idea to communicate with the public
4. Clarity of the theme and the potential for making it communicable, tangible and visible to the audience.
5. Artistic and visual strength of the project proposal and its capacity to be translated into a strong visual language and landscape
6. Strength of the team/studio to reflect in a broad and deep sense on the given theme and to bring ways to add to the knowledge
7. Capacity and experience of communicating architecture to the critics and the public alike, and of developing new audiences for architecture.

APPLICATION DOSSIER FOR THE FIRST PHASE

The application should include:

1. The application form (download it here)
2. A clearly articulated summary on how the project will relate to the theme “The Laboratory of the Future” (not more than 1000 words)
3. Method of investigation and anticipated findings, and how this will come into existence by means of reflection and creation
4. Image(s) that illustrate the exhibition proposal, setting, etc.
5. Portfolios of previous works of the team/studio
6. CV’s of the members of the team and its leader (not more than one page)

The candidates are free to choose whichever means and forms of introducing their project proposals. They are kindly invited to follow the guidelines provided by the Curators of the Biennale which can be found at http://www.labiennale.org

Technical Details on the Albanian Pavilion

The Albanian Pavilion will be situated in “Arsenale”. You will find the plan and relevant photos here

You will find the plan in DWG HERE.

Submission of application:

The complete application should be:

1. Prepared in two languages: Albanian and English
2. Sent by mail (printed and in digital form) to the attention of the technical secretariat of the Bienale 2023 at the following address: Ministry of Culture, Rruga “Aleksander Moisiu”, nr. 76, ish Kinostudio “Shqiperia e Re”, Tirana, Albania
3. Sent electronically to the e-mail address: biennale2023@kultura.gov.al
4. Submitted no later than December 18, 2022, 24.00 hrs (Phase 1)