Product Description
Betonart, which started to be published twice a year (biannually) as of this year, will feature "Biennale, but Architecture" as its theme for its first issue in 2025. Prepared under the guest editorship of Can Gündüz, the issue discusses the Venice Architecture Biennale through the axes of spectacle and substance, temporality and impact, curatorial power and narrative control, geopolitical and institutional biases, identity and autonomy, commercialization and funding structures, as well as environmental and ethical issues.
Guest editor Can Gündüz explains the theme in his introductory article as follows:
"This issue, focusing on the Venice Architecture Biennale, takes as its premise that the ambiguous stance the Biennale adopted at its inception 50 years ago has multiplied exponentially in the strange and unsettling times the world is experiencing. It aimed to lead readers to interpretations based on both on-site experiences and related media productions of the meticulously prepared exhibitions in the international pavilions."
The issue also includes passages from an article by Italian critic and historian Manfredo Tafuri, written about Aldo Rossi's temporary floating structure, Teatro del Mondo, designed for the 1980 Venice Biennale, and published in Domus magazine's 602nd issue (January 1980).
In his article, which calls for thinking of the Venice Architecture Biennale as an object with ontological reality, Can Gündüz focuses on the perceptible forms and qualities of the Biennale object in its historical context, as well as its essence and qualities that always remain unattainable.
Zehra Tonbul's text consists of notes that can form a basis for the writing of recent architectural history, tracing the thematic trajectory of the 19 Venice Architecture Biennale exhibitions held to date.
In his article, Yelta Köm explores the following questions: How much do we need biennials in today's world? When the world is ablaze everywhere, is it really possible to produce something new and meaningful among the countless visuals we consume on our phones? Why do we hold biennials under these conditions?
Erkin Özay's text examines the increasing interest in social issues and community-based practices prominent in recent editions of the Venice Architecture Biennale, and scrutinizes the participation of the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning in 2018.
In the issue, Yağmur Yıldırım shares some feminist "moments" she witnessed during the processes she followed, instead of providing a historical inventory of feminist contributions to the Venice Architecture Biennales or subjecting the Biennale to an institutional feminist critique.
Ali Mahmut Demirel and Hakan Topal discuss the fundamental issues shaping the architectural agenda through the Venice Architecture Biennale; the relationship between architecture and geography, and Demirel's participation in the last edition.
In the interview compiled by Dicle Bektaş for this issue, Ceren Erdem and Bilge Kalfa, curators of the "Yerebasan" exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale Turkish Pavilion, answer questions from guest editor Can Gündüz.
In the "Building Readings" section, prepared with the contributions of the Cement Industry Employers' Association, Pınar Gökbayrak shares her evaluations of the Joan Miró Foundation in Barcelona, which she visited within the scope of ÇEİS's 2023 Building Design Competition.
The "Project" section, prepared with the contributions of Fibrobeton, focuses on Arter, which moved to its new building in Dolapdere in September 2019.
What's in this Issue?
– "Biennale, but Architecture" theme under the guest editorship of Can Gündüz
– A critical look at the curatorial, political, and cultural structure of the Venice Architecture Biennale
– Selected passages from Manfredo Tafuri's Teatro del Mondo essay
– Notes on recent architectural history through 19 Venice Architecture Biennales
– Critical texts on the meaning and necessity of biennials today
– Community-based architectural practices and university participations
– Personal interpretations of feminist approaches in biennials
– Interview about the "Yerebasan" exhibition in the Turkish Pavilion
– An examination of the Joan Miró Foundation
– Arter's new building in Dolapdere