Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara Announce the theme of the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale

On the occasion of the press conference held at Ca’ Giustinian on June 6th, director Paola Baratta and curators Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara announced the theme of the upcoming Architecture Biennale, titled “Freespace”.

President Paolo Baratta declared:

“The Exhibition curated by Alejandro Aravena offered visitors a critical overview of the worldwide evolution of architecture and underlined how important it is that a qualified demand on the part of individuals and communities be met by an equally effective response, thereby confirming that architecture is one of civil society’s instruments for organizing the space in which it lives and works.
Along these lines, Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara will continue to address the same theme but from the point of view of the quality of the public and private space, of urban space, of the territory and of the landscape as the main ends of architecture. The curators, who are well-known for the refinement of their work, are also known for their intense didactic activity and their ability to involve and fascinate new generations.”

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara stated:

“Freespace represents the generosity of the spirit and the sense of humanity that architecture locates in its own agenda, focusing on the quality of the space.
Freespace focuses on architecture capacity of offering spaces as gifts to the community”.