Cover ‘Non-Belief: Taiwan Intelligens of Precarity’ at the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2025 (Photo: courtesy of H2O Studio)
‘Non-Belief: Taiwan Intelligens of Precarity’ at the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2025 (Photo: courtesy of H2O Studio)
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From Hong Kong’s bamboo scaffolding to Taiwan’s use of futuristic materials, the Asian pavilions at this year’s Venice Biennale of Architecture are showcasing the best of cultural heritage, modern aesthetics and social identities
The 19th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale opened on May 10. This year’s edition, titled ‘Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.’, hosts 65 national pavilions, where architects and curators from around the world showcase designs highlighting their regional characteristics, history and aesthetics. Among them are pavilions by Asian regions and cities, which are bringing a fresh perspective to the fair through their stories and architectural characteristics. One highlight is the Hong Kong Pavilion, for which the team has brought traditional bamboo scaffoldings to showcase the city’s sunset industry.
Venice Biennale is running until November 23 at the Giardini, Arsenale and in the city centre of Venice—if you happen to be in the City of Canals during this time, be sure not to miss these 5 Asian pavilions.
China Pavilion
Above ‘Co-exist’ (Photo: courtesy of Demone)
‘Co-exist’ (Photo: courtesy of Demone)
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Where: The Arsenale, Venice
What: Curated by Ma Yansong, the founding architect of Mad Architects, the China Pavilion at Venice Biennale presents Co-exist. It explores the evolving dynamics between traditional Chinese philosophy and the acceleration of contemporary technology. Bringing together 12 exhibitors, several of which are arts schools and academies in China, the exhibition aims to reveal the younger generations’ perspective of traditional Chinese culture, their proposals rooted in modernity and their vision of the future.
Hong Kong Pavilion
Above ‘Projecting Future Heritage: A Hong Kong Archive’ (Photo: courtesy of Oliver Yin Law)
‘Projecting Future Heritage: A Hong Kong Archive’ (Photo: courtesy of Oliver Yin Law)
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Where: The Arsenale, Venice
What: The Hong Kong Pavilion presents Projecting Future Heritage: A Hong Kong Archive, curated by Ar Fai Au, the founder of O Studio Architects; Dr Ying Zhou, an urban theorist; and Ar Sing Yeung Sunnie Lau, the founder of SOS Architecture Urban Design Studio. The team spotlights the sunset industry of traditional bamboo scaffolding and the oft-overlooked side of the cityscape, beyond its gleaming, swanky skyscrapers. The pavilion showcases the innovative measures that Hong Kong architects have to take to make the best use of space in Hong Kong’s notoriously cramped urban landscape.
Korean Pavilion
Above ‘Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion’
(Photo: courtesy of Korean Pavilion)
‘Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion’ (Photo: courtesy of Korean Pavilion)
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Where: The Giardini, Venice
What: South Korea is commemorating its pavilion’s 30th anniversary this year at the Venice Biennale. The space was designed by Italian architect Franco Mancuso and Korean architect Kim Seok-chul, who originally built the pavilion within a cluster of trees to emphasise its connection with nature.
Now, it has been reimagined by artists Kim Hyunjong, Heechan Park, Young Yena and Lee Dammy, who have put up site-responsive installations in an exhibition titled the Little Toad, Little Toad: Unbuilding Pavilion. For instance, Kim’s New Voyage, which is installed on the rooftop of the pavilion, turns the space of leisure into an open observatory oriented toward the Adriatic Sea. This installation suggests a new perspective on the use of the pavilion’s space and the metaphor for a new adventure.
Taiwan Pavilion
Above ‘Non-Belief: Taiwan Intelligens of Precarity’ (Photo: courtesy of H2O Studio)
‘Non-Belief: Taiwan Intelligens of Precarity’ (Photo: courtesy of H2O Studio)
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Where: Palazzo delle Prigioni
What: Non-Belief: Taiwan Intelligens of Precarity reflects on the conditions of uncertainty, such as unpredictable natural disasters, geopolitical tensions and the threats of globalisation, which make up the sociopolitical fabric of Taiwan. In the showcase, the artists and the architects highlight sustainable and efficient designs inspired by the region’s resilient building culture. For instance, the installation Border Elasticity focuses on the use of futuristic materials such as transparent acrylic sticks for constructing the Tainan Railway Underground. The structure also resembles incense sticks to serve as a metaphor for how people need to navigate crowded urban spaces.
Uzbekistan Pavilion
Above ‘A Matter of Radiance’ (Photo: courtesy of Gerda Studio and the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation)
‘A Matter of Radiance’ (Photo: courtesy of Gerda Studio and the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation)
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Where: The Arsenale, Venice
What: Curated by Ekaterina Golovatyuk and Giacomo Cantoni of Grace studio, A Matter of Radiance takes inspiration from the modernist scientific structure, The Sun Institute of Material Science, originally called the Sun Heliocomplex, built in 1987 near Tashkent, which was one of the last major scientific projects of the USSR. The pavilion explores the scientific and cultural relevance of Uzbekistan’s recent modernist legacy and its potential.
Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
