david chipperfield officially appointed director of the venice biennale 2012

portrait of david chipperfield
image © nick knight


as designboom pre-announced in november as a result of considerable professional speculation,
london-based architect david chipperfield has just been officially appointed as curator of the
venice architecture biennale 2012 in italy. he is the first brit to coordinate the event, which is the world's
largest architecture exhibition. in suggestion of the theme chosen for the 13th edition of the event, chipperfield offers:

'participants will be encouraged through a declaration of affinities to make connections with other authors and other works.
these dialogues and collaborations may involve a common proposal or a dialogue between projects even as a dialogue
of provocation. in this way we wish to demonstrate the existence of a rich culture of architectural practice and research,
stimulated by the work of other disciplines but defined by shared enthusiasms and concerns at a time when the singular works
of architects are celebrated but the role of the profession and our place within society is continuously challenged.'



exterior of 'the hepworth wakefield' by david chipperfield architects, west yorkshire, UK
see designboom's initial coverage of this article here.
image © iwan baan


paolo baratta, president of the biennale, elaborates on the board's selection of chipperfield to curate the event:

'after a series of exhibitions that illustrated the many different ways of approaching the theme of architecture
in the contemporary era (sociological, technological, urban), it appeared useful to turn to an architect who demonstrates
great interest in architecture as a discipline and raises questions about the elements of which it is composed,
about the objectives it pursues, about the constraints that affect it, about the tools that it uses to shape places,
spaces, buildings. the next architecture exhibition will be characterized by the emphasis on a series of relationships
that connect great architects and younger generations that refer to them.'



gallery inside the hepworth wakefield' by david chipperfield architects, west yorkshire, UK
image © iwan baan



'neues museum', berlin, germany
see designboom's initial coverage of this project here.
image © ute zscharnt
image courtesy david chipperfield architects



'neues museum', berlin, germany
image © ute zscharnt
image courtesy david chipperfield architects