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The Venice Architecture Biennale is the world’s largest cultural event for architecture. The aim of this international event is to give the world an overview as comprehensive as possible of the themes and projects capable of addressing the future’s scenarios in the fields of architecture, urbanism, the city and our ever-changing society.

The 18^th edition will take place from 20 May to 26 November 2023. Nominated in December 2021 by the Fondazione la Biennale di Venezia, Lesley Lokko, architect and woman of letters will be the Chief Curator of the Biennale 2023.

Lesley Lokko, who is responsible for the major exhibition, will also decide on the theme of the Biennial, which is expected to be announced in summer 2022.

The presence of Luxembourg at the Venice Architecture Biennale meets several objectives:

• To enable Luxembourg actors to develop their practice by broadening their thinking and their frame of reference to other fields;
• To contribute to their visibility at a national level and to their international influence;
• To promote research, the reflection and the culture of Luxembourg and its creators among professionals and international audiences.

The Pavilion, located on the first floor of the Sale d’Armi, offers an open plan space of some 240 m² with a ceiling height of 5 meters. A description of the venue is available in the appendix.

Since the Fondazione la Biennale di Venezia introduced new procedures for national participations in 2016, the Ministry of Culture has assumed the role of curator for the Luxembourg Pavilion. In this role, the Ministry, as the main financer of the national participation, appoints Kultur|lx – Arts Council Luxembourg as project manager who will be in charge of the whole organisation of the Luxembourg presence in Venice.

The project for the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Pavilion will be selected by a jury made-up of:

• Michelle Friederici, President of Ordre des Architectes et des Ingénieurs conseils Luxembourg
• Cécile Fries, Architect, sociologist and lecturer at école nationale supérieure d’architecture, Nancy
• Claudine Hemmer, Visual Arts and Architecture Advisor, ministry of Culture Luxembourg
• Nikolaus Hirsch, Artistic director of CIVA – Architect, landscape and urban culture, Bruxelles
• Sara Noel Costa de Araujo, Architect and curator of Luxembourg Pavilion 2021
• Guittou Müller, representing LUCA
• Hélène Doub, representing Kultur | lx

The call is aimed at multidisciplinary curatorial teams for the production and creation of the Luxembourg Pavilion of this Venice Architecture Biennale edition. The teams must include at least one Luxembourg architect, living in Luxembourg or able to demonstrate cultural integration in the Grand Duchy. Moreover, the teams may include all professions useful for the reflection, production and mediation of this pavilion. For example, artists, architects, urban planners, landscape architects, researchers, critics, curators, writers, philosophers, etc. can be part of the team. In addition, the teams may call on the services of third parties.

The applicant team must designate a project leader who will be the main contact for Kultur|lx.

The applicant team must have experience in organising or producing exhibitions and be able to develop an architectural discourse and defend it in public.

Proposals may take the form of exhibitions, installations, performances, workshops, readings or other relevant formats.

In line with the directions of the Biennale 2023, the proposals will affirm the ethical and social functions of architecture, reflect the way it can support inclusion, well-being, sustainability and diversity. The selected proposal will be suitable for presentation in the context of the Venice Biennale and will consider the specific nature of the Pavilion. They will also give an idea of the subsequent presentation of the project in Luxembourg.

The criterias are :

• The relevance of the theme in relation to a contemporary architectural discourse;
• Singularity and artistic relevance of the project, in relation to the above-mentioned components;
• Contribution to the discourse on Luxembourg’s architecture and its influence;
• The implementation of the reflection in the Luxembourg cultural landscape;
• Quality of the portfolio presentation (argumentation, clarity, readability);
• Feasibility of the project and budgetary coherence;
• Identification of the expected impacts of the project;
• Identification of target audiences;
• Professional experience of the applicant team;
• Specific attention to circular economy;
• The possibilities of a later adaptation of the project in Luxembourg.

The selection will be carried out in two sessions:

1. The first session will focus on the preliminary brief projects.

The application deadline for the first session is midnight on 25/05/2022 via the website https://support.kulturlx.lu/en 

The application must include the following components:

• The references and works of the team members (portfolio + cv);
• A project proposal of maximum 2 A4 pages written in French, German or English indicating the challenges of the project and the form it could take;
• A provisional budget;
• A work schedule.

The jury will meet between 30 May and 1 June and will shortlist three applicants, who will then be invited to develop their project for the second session, who will be informed by 2 June.

2. The second session will focus on the detailed projects

Deadline : July 14, 2022 at 06 :00 pm at the latest

Physical files (models, boards, etc.) must be sent to Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg / 5-7 rue de l’Alzette, L-4011 Esch-sur-Alzette).

For the second session, the 3 shortlisted candidates must submit:

• The detailed project including all visual elements (layout plans, photos, videos, etc.);
• A detailed provisional budget;
• A set timetable;
• A proposal for when the project returns to Luxembourg
• A final title for their project.

The jury will then meet for a second session between July 18 and 20. Applicants may be asked to come and present their project to the jury.

The jury will submit its proposal for a winning project to the Minister of Culture

The jury’s decision is final.

The announcement of the winners will be made on July 22, 2022.

As the commissioner, the Ministry of Culture has appointed Kultur|lx as the project Director of the Luxembourg Pavilion.

As the project Director, Kultur|lx will be in charge of the whole organisation of the Luxembourg presence in Venice. The selection of the curatorial team will be made through this public call for applications.

The detailed roles and responsibilities will be defined, depending on the team and selected project, in an agreement to be drawn up within two months of the announcement of the winning team.

Selected applicants for the second session will receive an allowance of 1,500 euros for the preparation of the portfolio for the completion of the project for the second session. For the selected team, this lump sum is to be considered as a down payment. The names of the three shortlisted projects will be published.

Kultur|lx will award the sum of €75,000 to the selected team. This sum will cover the costs of the project creation as well as the fees and is to be included in the overall project budget to be submitted for the second session.

The overall budget made available to Kultur|lx by the Ministry of Culture for the Luxembourg Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale is €418,000 (excluding rental charges and the project to be adapted to Luxembourg). This sum includes the costs of installation, transport, travel and accommodation as well as communication and personnel costs for production, mediation and supervision.

Any questions regarding this call should be addressed to helene.doub@kulturlx.lu