Real-world debates permeate Venice Biennale on architecture

VENICE, Italy – Real-world debates permeate this year’s Venice Biennale on architecture, from commemorating spaces once part of the U.S. slave trade to maintaining the delicate status quo at religious sites in the Holy Land.

The sprawling exhibition, which opens Saturday for a six-month run, reflects not only on the political implications of what gets built but also on the empty spaces in between.

The Israeli Pavilion, subtitled “structures of negotiation,” outlines the consequences of multiple claims on revered religious places and how daily use defines monuments. The U.S. pavilion comments on the meaning of citizenship as governments dictate who belongs and who doesn’t.

Saudi Arabia and the Vatican are among six first-time participants.