Canada at the Venice Architecture Biennale
The International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia is one of the most important platforms for contemporary architecture. The exhibition, held every two years, consists of a central exhibition with over 100 international participants, 60 national pavilions and collateral events throughout the city. It is a prestigious international event that engages critical conversations about contemporary architecture that attracts 300,000 visitors annually, among them architects, artists, designers, critics, politicians, students and cultural leaders from around the world.
Canada has been participating in the International Architecture Exhibition since 1991 and maintains its own pavilion in the Giardini della Biennale. The Canada Pavilion, constructed in 1956 by Enrico Peressutti of the renowned Milanese architectural studio BBPR, was completely restored in 2018 by architect Alberico Barbiano di Belgiojoso, working in close collaboration with M+B Studio. The surrounding landscape has been revitalized by la Biennale di Venezia in collaboration with acclaimed Canadian landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander and Bryce Gauthier of Enns Gauthier Landscape Architects.
The Canada Council for the Arts, Commissioner of Canada’s official participation in the International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, administers the selection process and oversees the exhibition at the Canada Pavilion. A selection committee composed of experienced professionals selected for their expertise determines which team will realize a project that responds to current realities through the lens of contemporary Canadian architecture.
Enhancing Canada’s presence, the Canada Council’s Venice Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for students and early career practitioners in the field of art and architecture to spend time in Venice to conduct independent research as well as to gain practical experience in overseeing the daily operations of the Canada Pavilion.
Canada Pavilion at the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale
The Canada Council for the Arts invites exhibition proposals for Canada’s official representation at the 20th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, from May to November 2027. The exhibition will take place at the Canada Pavilion, in the Giardini della Biennale.
The Canada Council is looking for proposals with bold ideas that inspire, challenge and respond to current realities through the lens of contemporary Canadian architecture. Each proposal must include, in addition to an on-site exhibition, a digital artistic element with functionality that is accessible to and discoverable by a wide audience. Examples include but are not limited to livestreamed works and events, downloadable works, virtual performances, digital exhibition and curatorial works, interactive artistic experiences and more.
The call is open to cross-disciplinary teams from incorporated Canadian organizations, institutions or registered businesses. The team must include architects and curators who will lead and manage the project. The team may also include contributors and collaborators such as artists, writers and designers.
The selected team will be responsible for all aspects of the exhibition, from conception and design to production, and will be expected to work closely with the Canada Council throughout the development and delivery phases of the project.
The Canada Council, as Commissioner, oversees Canada’s official participation, advises the selected team and contributes $500,000 towards the exhibition production.
Selection process
Applicants must be incorporated Canadian organizations, institutions or registered businesses. These include but are not limited to architectural firms, organizations and associations, schools of architecture, artist-run-centres, galleries and museums. The organization, institution or business must be at least 75% Canadian-owned and have its head office and executive located in Canada.
The application process has two stages:
Stage 1 Proposal submitted through the call for expression of interest
Stage 2 Shortlisted candidates from the call will receive a $5,000 fee to fully develop their Stage 2 application and to participate in an interview with the selection committee.
A selection committee composed of experienced professionals selected for their expertise will assess the eligible proposals. The selection committee is comprised of the following members:
- Betsy Williamson, architect, principal, Williamson Williamson (Toronto, Ontario)
- Sergio Morales, architect, founding partner, Chevalier Morales (Montreal, Quebec)
- Naomi Potter, director/curator, Esker Foundation (Calgary, Alberta)
- David Fortin, architect, principal, David T Fortin Architect | professor, University of Waterloo School of Architecture (Cambridge, Ontario)
Past Exhibitions
- 2025 Picoplanktonics
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Curator: Presenter: Living Room Collective
- 2023 Not for Sale!
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Curator: Architects Against Housing Alienation
- 2021 Impostor Cities
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Curator: David Theodore, Presenter: T B A / Thomas Balaban Architect
- 2018 UNCEDED
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Curators: Gerald McMaster, David Fortin, Presenter: Douglas Cardinal Architect
- 2016 Extraction
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Curator: OPSYS │ Pierre Bélanger
- 2014 Arctic Adaptations: Nunavut at 15
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Curator: Lateral Office │ Lola Sheppard, Mason White, Matthew Spremulli
- 2012 Migrating Landscape
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Curators: 5468796 Architecture + Jae Sung Chon
- 2010 Hylozoic Ground
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Exhibitor: Philip Beesley Architect Inc.
- 2008 41° to 66°: Architecture in Canada – Region, Culture, Tectonics
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Curators: John McMinn, Marco Polo, Presenter: Cambridge Galleries
- 2006 SweaterLodge
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Curators: Chris Macdonald, Greg Bellerby, Presenter: Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Exhibitor: Pechet and Robb Studio
- 2004 Found Object
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Curator: Georges Adamczyk, Exhibitor: Saucier & Perrotte Architectes
- 2002 Next Memory City
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Curators: Michael Awad, John Knechtal, Presenters: InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre and Alphabet City, Exhibitors: Michael Awad, Eve Egoyan, David Rokeby
- 2000 Un dictionnaire ...
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Curator: Phyllis Lambert, Presenter: Canadian Centre for Architecture, Exhibitor: Melvin Charney
- 1996 Reciprocity, Patkau + 16
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Curator: Larry Richards, Presenter: Canadian Centre for Architecture, Exhibitor: Patkau Architects (John Patkau, Patricia Patkau, Michael Cunningham), Jean-Pierre Chupin, Lea Zeppetelli, Pierre Boudon, Annette Dudek, Timothy E.G. McDonald, James Meunier, Donald Weikert, Arriz Hassam, John Tong, Kevin R. Sugden, Ewan Branda, Kati Rubinyi, Chris Ludwig, Annie Lebel, Geneviève L’Heureux, Stéphane Pratt, Yves Sheriff, Richard Wesley-James, Nelson Ross, Michael Wabb, Doris Wackerle, Marc Boutin, Bruce Carscadden, Derek Gregory, Ian Panabeker, Liz Rosch, François Gagné, Marie-Michèlle Cron, Alan Lewis, Richard Hinzel, Thierry Beaudoin, Roberto De Marco, Pierre Gendron, Philippe Paré, Francis Novak, John E. Archondakis, Bernard Jin, Marc Sterling, Ellen Bentley, Robert Murdoch, Gordon Filewych, Cam Hodgan Christiansen, Andreas Kaminski, Eric Lee, Ladislav Konopa, Thomas Bessai, Maria Denegri, J. Bruce Haden, Timothy McLaughlin
- 1991 Canadian Centre for Architecture: Building and Gardens
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Curator: Larry Richards, Presenter: Canadian Centre for Architecture, Exhibitor: Melvin
Deadline
Guidelines and Application Forms
Canada Pavilion images and Architectural Drawings