Applications are now open to represent Bahrain on the international stage at the 20th edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale, taking place next year.
Bahraini teams of artists, historians, designers, theorists, scientists, critics and practitioners from related disciplines are being invited to submit proposals to represent Bahrain at the 20th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia.
The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (Baca) recently issued an open call for proposals for the Bahrain Pavilion at the prestigious event, which will run from May 8 to November 21 next year, with the pre-opening on May 6 and 7.
The theme for Bahrain’s pavilion at the event will be ‘Making and Scarcity’.
“Architecture is inseparable from the process of making,” Baca added in its statement.
“It is informed by the materials available, the tools used, the technologies employed, and the networks through which resources move.
“Throughout history and across cultures, processes of making have been defined by the resources, materials and technologies available in each place and time, often within conditions of scarcity and exchange.
“In Bahrain, and for centuries, traditions of making have evolved through a combination of imported materials and industries established within the country.
“Regional and international trade enabled the exchange of timber, stone, metals, ceramics and other materials, while local industries, such as the aluminium industry, expanded the possibilities of transforming these resources into architecture.”
‘Do Architecture – For the Possibility of Coexistence Facing a Real Reality’ will be the title and theme of the overall exhibition taking place at a number of venues around Venice, Italy.
Chinese architects Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu will be curating the entire exhibition, which will focus on ‘materiality, craftsmanship, local participation and lived experience, calling for a return to building, inhabitation and coexistence’, according to the organisers.
“Today, global supply chains, geopolitical shifts, and environmental pressures are redefining the availability, value and movement of materials,” Baca added.
“As resources become increasingly constrained, architecture must reconsider not only what it is made from, but how it is made.
“Processes of extraction, fabrication, assembly, disassembly, repair, reuse and recirculation are becoming as significant as the materials themselves.
“We seek multidisciplinary teams to investigate making as both process and proposition through research-driven proposals exploring material scarcity, fabrication, circularity and systems of production.”
The call is open to international applicants, but each team must have at least one applicant who is either a Bahraini national or based in Bahrain.
Individuals and collaborative teams are eligible to apply but teams are limited to five members.
Teams may include curators, architects, artists, historians, designers, theorists, scientists, critics and practitioners from related disciplines.
Diverse teams bringing together interdisciplinary expertise are encouraged to apply.
“Proposals must present an original curatorial concept developed specifically for the Bahrain Pavilion,” Baca added.
“Proposals should be ambitious while remaining feasible to research, develop, and implement within the available time frame.
“Applicants must be available and committed to the project throughout the period leading up to the exhibition opening.”
Teams and individuals can access the application online at bahrainpavilion.bh and the submission deadline is September 26.
In 2025, the Bahrain Pavilion at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale was themed ‘Heatwave’ and won the prestigious Golden Lion for Best National Participation, in recognition of its visionary curatorial approach and its urgent themes.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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