Venice Biennale revamp
The Venice Biennale’s Central Pavilion at the Giardini just finished a 16‑month renovation ahead of the 61st International Art Exhibition, which opens May 9 and runs through November (architecturalrecord.com). Korea’s pavilion will frame “liberation” this year and novelist Han Kang is contributing a sculpture installation of blackened trees as a meditation on comfort and resilience ( ).
La Biennale says the Central Pavilion upgrade was funded through Italy’s Ministry of Culture under the National Plan for Complementary Investments (PNC) of the PNRR and carried a €31 million price tag. (labiennale.org) La Biennale’s Special Projects department oversaw the job, with architect Arianna Laurenzi and engineer Cristiano Frizzele managing the programme while a temporary association led by BUROMILAN (Milan Ingegneria) worked with Labics and architect Fabio Fumagalli on the design and delivery. (labiennale.org) The firms describe the refurbished pavilion as a roughly 3,500‑square‑metre venue that received anti‑seismic consolidation, a new energy‑efficient ventilated roof and two new exterior "altana" structures to shelter a cafeteria terrace and a multipurpose‑hall terrace. (buromilan.com) Interior changes focused on creating a neutral, flexible exhibition layout, reorganizing service spaces, and optimizing separate visitor and artwork‑handling routes to improve accessibility and logistical flow. (buromilan.com) South Korea’s pavilion, commissioned by Arts Council Korea (ARKO), will be presented under the title “Liberation Space: Fortress/Nest,” a curatorial project led by Binna Choi that explicitly revisits the 1945–1948 post‑liberation period as a frame for contemporary social tensions. (en.yna.co.kr) The pavilion’s core team names Goen Choi and Hyeree Ro as the main participating artists; Goen Choi will weave repurposed industrial materials such as copper water pipes through the pavilion while Hyeree Ro stages eight draped “stations” for pause and mourning, and Nobel laureate Han Kang will present an installation titled “The Funeral,” a field of blackened trees inspired by a dream and her novel We Do Not Part (linked to the Jeju 1948 massacre). (biennialfoundation.org)
