The Estonian Pavilion at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, from 20 May to 26 November 2023, presents the exhibition “Home Stage” curated by Aet Ader, Arvi Anderson and Mari Möldre of b210 Architects. The exhibition explores the contradiction between the habitable space understood as a home and as an exchange value.
The exhibition takes place in a rented Venetian apartment near the rear exit of the Arsenale complex. Several Estonian performers will take turns living inside the apartment for a month, transforming the space into both a home and a stage.
The 2023 Architecture Biennale is curated by the architect and writer Lesley Lokko with the theme "The Laboratory of the Future" and imagines the exhibition as a sort of workshop, a laboratory where architects and professionals of creative disciplines bring examples from their contemporary practices by tracing a path that the public can take, imagining what the future may hold for them.
“Home Stage” reflects on the dichotomy of homes and buildings, dreams and reality, tenants and owners, residents and guests. The house is no longer just for living: investment and speculation have become the main purpose of an ever-increasing number of homes, while property and rental prices continue to grow.
The performers focus on almost grotesque domestic situations, where dreams collide with reality, landlords with tenants, sellers with buyers, intimacy with alienation. Each performance, lasting 1 hour and 30 minutes, will take place throughout the day in the different rooms of the apartment. Some situations will involve visitors, others will push them to enjoy rest and home environments.
The curators have designed a path for visitors. The journey starts from the street, where four wooden sofa-seats will be positioned for visitors to wait and rest before entering the apartment. Entering through the main door, one arrives at a corridor, where, during the six months, a white wall will be painted repeatedly by each performer.
The living room and kitchen house a wall-mounted cabinet of curiosities filled with various artefacts: documents, sculptures, surprising and curious objects, and memorabilia, together with a selection of particular kitchen utensils. The bedroom is characterized by an installation, a mirrored ceiling, equipped with light reflecting panels; while the bathroom is the stage for “a fountain of sinks”, where the faucets of the sinks and the bathtub will enliven the space and occasionally collide. Finally, visitors will find themselves in front of a closed door that will be opened at the discretion of the performer: an empty room with clouds of dust and fluff blown by four vacuum cleaners.
Attention is also placed on the ephemeral nature of the apartment itself, which is neither owned by Estonia nor by the artists, but rented out for the duration of the exhibition. This aspect underlines once again the importance of real estate investment and speculation in contemporary society.
The "Home Stage" exhibition is an opportunity to reflect on the question of living, of the house and of property, but also on the ephemeral and temporary nature of contemporary art exhibitions. The Estonian Pavilion has chosen to explore these themes through performance and the active participation of visitors, creating an engaging and inspiring experience.
CREDITS & PARTNERS
Exhibition: Home Internship
Address: Salizada Street 96, Venice
Opening time
May 2023 (Tuesday – Sunday; 11:00 – 19:00)
June – November 2023 (Wednesday – Sunday; 11:00 – 19:00)
curators: Aet Ader, Arvi Anderson, Mari Möldre (b210 Architects)
Commissioner: Raul Järg (Estonian Center for Architecture)
Production: Anna Lindpere, AnuLill (Estonian Center for Architecture)
Team: Liisa Saaremäel (stager and performer), KeithyKuuspu (stager and performer), ArolinRaudva (performer), Kirill Havanski (performer), AnumaiRaska (performer), KülliTeetamm (performer), ElineSelgis (performer), Paula Veidenbauma (performer), Johhan Rosenberg ( performer), JanKaus (playwright), KadriKlementi (texts), MargusTammik (technical solutions), Markus Robam (sound designer), KairiMändla (production designer), KertinVasser (photography)
Partner: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Ministry of Culture
Sponsored by: Thermory
Thanks to: Eik Hermann, Viljar Arakas, Karin Tõugu, Mari Hunt, Katrin Koov, Kristian Taaksalu, Nele Šverns
